Neil and Gina Smith Student of the Year Award Past Recipients 2006

Heather Phillips

soya_heatherphillips Heather Phillips performed at a very high level throughout her course of study and achieved a First Class Honours Degree. Heather’s contribution to the life of the University was extensive and will have a lasting positive effect at Keele. As President she transformed the LGBT society and ran the University’s first ever awareness week. The Society was awarded the accolade of Most Improved Society of the Year. She was also active in the very successful Rock Society.

Heather was deeply involved in Nightline, the student listening and support service. As National Representative and Training Officer she was jointly responsible for assessing and training all new Nightliners – more than 60 students in one year – and brought about many improvements. Heather received the maximum award by Millennium Volunteers for her work with Nightline and LGBT and also a Platinum Award in the Keele Students Union Voluntary Experience Programme.

Heather has a strong entrepreneurial streak, winning a Lord Stafford Award for Enterprise. She worked with the Office of Research and Enterprise at Keele and helped to set up the first society at Keele to encourage and enable student entrepreneurs.

Heather managed to achieve all this while having to work to support herself throughout her time at university. Having left home at sixteen she supported herself financially and overcame periods of bereavement, ill health and financial hardship.

The Awarding Panel felt that Heather had had a significant impact wherever she applied her energy and talents. She has an outstanding record of academic achievement and university citizenship. We are delighted that she continued her studies at Keele in 2006-2007, with a place on the MA in Social Work programme to train to as a social worker.

Photo: The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Janet Finch, with Heather Phillips, Gina Smith and Neil Smith.