Student winner

Yamin Thet, Alliance Manchester Business School

Yamin is co-founder of Start smart, a no-for-profit organisation that supports young people in Myanmar.  The civil war and military coup in Myanmar has meant that many universities and schools have closed.  Start Smart aims to provide educational programmes aimed at career development and enhancing job prospects for young people in Myanmar, filling a critical void.  The initiative provides educational resources but also hope and direction to thousands of young people, fostering an environment of resilience ad empowerment. 

For example, the ‘New Year New Me’ event was a webinar focused on personal development and wellbeing. Over 3000 participants aged 16 to 26 took part. Yamin organised sponsors and speakers and showcased her outstanding event management skills. 

Yamin is an advocate and mentor for Myanmar students aspiring to study abroad, providing valuable insights and encouragement to over 3000 students. Through her Facebook and YouTube channels she has a community of over 24,000 aspiring to study in the UK. 

Student 2nd Place

Emma Phiri, School of Health Sciences

Emma has been volunteering with Global First Responder, an international NGO providing medical and dental care in under-served communities for ten years.  She has developed new initiatives such as dental camps in refugee camps in Lusaka, Zambia; implemented a programme for Dental Therapy students to act as translators for medical and dental teams; has created a programme for children with additional needs to obtain surgical dental care; and has spearheaded a programme to provide permanent water filtration systems at primary schools.  She also continues to identify new communities for future projects. 

Student 3rd Place (joint)

Gary Young, Alliance Manchester Business School

Gary is voluntary non-executive director of Manchester Thunder Netball and Trustee of the World Netball Foundation.  He has become an advocate for the development and promotion of women’s sport and has systematically worked to create new opportunities for those people in greatest need to achieve through netball.  This includes establishing the first National SuperLeague for ParaNetball and instigating research on injury in elite women athletes to reduce the likelihood of Anterior Cruciate Ligament injuries. 

Amatullah Khan, School of Medical Sciences

Amatullah is President of the Refugee Crisis Foundation.  This raises money to fund camps overseas providing dental and medical aid to refugees, thus reducing barriers to care.  This year alone the events she has organised have raised over £20,000, including a Snowdon hike, a sip and paint social event, a £5k challenge and a bake sale.