Graduate of the Year 2005

The 2005 Graduate of the Year competition, run by Real World magazine in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Moloney Search Graduates, announced its winner yesterday. The competition seeks to identify exceptional students who have made the most of their time at university ñ those who have really contributed to university life, their local community, or society at large ñ and to find out what makes them tick.

In a well attended awards ceremony held at Century private membersí club in central London, 21 year old undergraduate Hazel Mowbray beat thousands of students and waltzed off with the prestigious title and a 10,000 cheque.

Hazel, currently in her final year at the London School of Economics, is already in possession of a glittering CV which seems to highlight everything but her studies. In addition to completing her degree in International Relations and History, Hazel has taught music in an inner city primary school, as well as playing in the University of London orchestra. She has also worked as a legal case worker for a Tamil organisation, where she helped compile asylum appeals for Tamil refugees. As her student unionís Disabilities Officer she has established weekly drop-in sessions, organized the Disability Awareness Week, and written guides and a prospectus.

During her time off from university she spent a summer working for a human rights NGO in Ecuador, and also worked in Ethiopia, where she helped set up a project providing ante and post natal care for women. Amazingly, on her day off Hazel volunteered as a nurse in Mother Teresaís hospital, helping to provide palliative care to cancer patients.

As if this werenít a daunting enough schedule, Hazel has also managed to maintain her own interests; in particular rowing. Typically not content with coaching and coxing the menís team, she established a womenís rowing club at LSE. She also plays in the University of London orchestra.

An overjoyed Hazel commented, ìThis award is fantastic, because it highlights the fact that thereís more to life than studying. You can do it all. Iím hopefully going to graduate with a really good 2:1 and I couldnít have worked harder, but I still made the time to do everything I wanted to do. The prize money will be paying for my Masters in Development Studies at LSE and the rest is going towards returning to Ethiopia, so that I can make sure that it is put to good use for a really good cause.

I will be graduating from university with not just a degree, but with an outlook, enthusiasm and objective for life, which I hope stays with me forever. My advice to other students would be to get involved with projects and causes that you are passionate about - donít just do things to put on your CV.î