Principal's Medal: Zoë Nengite

I should now like to introduce the Principal’s Medal. This award was inaugurated eleven years ago with a gift from three anonymous donors and is supported by Ede and Ravenscroft, believed to be the oldest firm of tailors and robe-makers in the world. 

The award of the Principal’s Medal recognises students who display exceptional endeavour and achievement during their time at St Andrews. The awards are open to final-year undergraduates and postgraduates in any discipline. The achievements celebrated are academic as well as sporting, musical, or other attainments. 

For the academic year 2019 to 2020, the Principal’s Medal is being presented to three outstanding students. This afternoon we recognise Zoë Nengite, who has just received her Bachelor of Science with Honours in Computer Science – and I am pleased to note that she has received a first-class degree.

Zoë’s nomination references her formidable intellectual accomplishments: she has made the Dean’s List for each year of study at the University, demonstrating her sustained commitment to excellence, and she graduates with one of the most distinguished academic profiles of her entire cohort. In her spare time, Zoë has engaged tirelessly with consciousness-raising activities, particularly in the area of racial and ethnic diversity. In her capacity as the SRC Member for Racial Diversity for the 2019 to 2020 academic year, Zoë founded St Andrews Multicultural Week which will persevere long after she has graduated, and also worked to ensure that all students were represented at the highest levels of the University. Zoë’s time at St Andrews has set an example of how one can excel personally while supporting others and affecting lasting cultural change.

Zoë, in recognition of all that you have achieved both academically and personally during your time as an undergraduate, and as you prepare for your next steps in the tech industry, it gives me great pleasure to bestow upon you the Principal’s Medal. Zoë will join us at one of the rescheduled ceremonies to receive her medal from me in person; for now, I am pleased that Zoë will share a few words of her own.

– Principal Sally Mapstone