Una Europa Student Board member awarded the Sir William Darling Memorial Prize
Third year School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences student, Baby Wang, has been awarded the University's Sir William Darling Memorial Prize 2023 in recognition of her leadership shaping the role that the University of Edinburgh's student body can play in European Higher Education.
Baby received the award in recognition of the considerable amount she has done to advance the reputation of the University through her involvement in the Una Europa alliance. Baby first learnt of Una Europa after securing a place at Una Europa's first One Health Summer School hosted at the University of Edinburgh. Through her attendance at this Summer School, Baby saw first-hand the positive benefits of interdisciplinary work in the alliance and how energising it was to work in teams of students from different language and cultural backgrounds. Following her engagement in the Summer school, she started to share ideas on engaging and creating an Una Europa student community on campus. By founding and leading Edinburgh's Una Europa Student Network and representing the University as an active member of Una Europa's Student Board, Baby continues to be an exceptional ambassador of the University internationally.
It is my great honour and pleasure to be able to receive this award for the work that I have done for Una Europa. It has been the best part of my journey in Edinburgh.
Una Europa Student Board
This Una Europa student leadership team includes two student representatives from each of the eleven Una Europa member universities. After becoming involved with Una Europa in July 2022, by September Baby was nominated as the University's Student Board representative and quickly became an invaluable member. From attendance and active contributions in Board meetings, volunteering to lead in key areas and providing Edinburgh Global staff with valuable insights, Baby has acted as a unified voice for students, bringing together different ideas, perspectives, and experiences to ensure that the student voice continues to shape the voice of this prominent European alliance.
Through the Una Europa Student Board and annual Student Congress, students across the alliance’s member universities are co-creating a virtual student-centred European campus through driving the student vision and piloting new student initiatives to create an influential European student community. Baby has played an active role in designing this unique transnational European campus.
The University is a proud member of the Una Europa alliance with students from the University of Edinburgh contributing to its half a million European student community.
Baby has been integral in ensuring that, despite Brexit, Edinburgh students can still form connections, engage and develop new opportunities for cultural exchange with students from across Europe’s capital cities.
The Una Europa Student Network at the University of Edinburgh is still in its infancy but it continues to grow and this is thanks to Baby’s leadership. We, in Edinburgh Global, appreciate the time and effort Baby has invested in Una Europa activity alongside her undergraduate studies and it is hugely positive that this has been recognised by the Principal too.
Una Europa Student Network
Since launching in October 2022, Baby has done extraordinary work leading this group of enthusiastic student visionaries. The Student Network at the University of Edinburgh offers a range of opportunities, from leadership positions, social events, project management experience, skill-based workshops and engagement with a vibrant European student community.
Una Europa events are advertised to members of the Student Network and funded opportunities to travel to member universities’ are offered to students across the year.
Sir William Darling Memorial Prize
This Prize is awarded by the Principal to University of Edinburgh students who have enhanced the reputation of the University. A prize of £1000, per recipient, was presented at the Principal’s official Welcome Talk to new students at McEwan Hall on 11 September.
Related Links:
- Join the Una Europa Student Network at Edinburgh
- What is Una Europa?
- Apply for the Una Europa Student Congress in Helsinki (Deadline 26 September 2023)