Keele Student of the Year

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Posted on 08 July 2013

The Keele University Neil and Gina Smith Student of the Year 2013 is Lauren Gallimore. From an exceptionally strong pool of candidates, the awarding panel decided that Lauren should be the recipient of the 2013 Award.

Lauren, from Talke, graduates from Keele with a First Class Honours Degree in Educational Studies and International Relations and has been accepted to study for the PGCE Primary at Keele. She plans to continue with her studies and become the first person in her family to gain a doctorate.The panel felt strongly that Lauren's academic performance, described by Professor Farzana Shain, School of Public Policy and Professional Practice, as "outstanding", and her extra curricular activities, many of which show a commitment to helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed, indicated an excellent, resilient graduate who is a credit to Keele.

Lauren came to Keele as a mature student with what she describes as "few formal qualifications". Having had a challenging childhood and missing a proportion of her schooling as a result, Lauren had "little confidence in her ability to achieve academically". From this background, and with responsibility for the care of one, sometimes two, family members, Lauren progressed extremely well, winning a prize for an essay on International Relations Theory, when she had never written an essay before she came to Keele, and being recognised for excellence in education by the Second Year internal Examination Board for International Relations.

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