Alumni Volunteer of the Year Awards and Thank You Event

Each year, a few particularly generous graduates go above and beyond in their volunteering activity to guide, advise and inspire students, and support the University. These awards recognise their valued contribution.

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This year, many of our generous volunteers attended a Thank You Event on campus, where they had the chance to meet students who had benefitted from their time and support.

The awards for alumni volunteering, eMentoring and community fundraising were also presented to this year's winners.

Alumni Volunteer of the Year Award 2024

We're delighted to announce that the Alumni Volunteer of the Year 2024 is Binna Kandola OBE (Occupational Psychology 1981)

Binna was nominated by the Management School for his outstanding commitment in supporting Masters students. Since 2012, his company, Pearn Kandola has enabled students to gain experience of working on real company issues.

Binna has also hosted a student visit, where he set the students a challenge and provided feedback. This visit was the School’s first ever specialised careers visit to an occupational psychology consultancy practice, and it provided students with valuable insights into the range of jobs available to them.

“I had such a wonderful time when I studied at Sheffield that I’m always looking to find ways of showing my appreciation in a very practical way”

Binna Kandola, Alumni Volunteer of the Year Winner

Highly Commended Alumni Volunteer 2024

Our Highly Commended volunteer this year is Susan Fearn (French Language and Literature 1980)

Susan was nominated for her commitment to the eMentoring programme, which she has supported for many years, her support of students on the flagship London City Connections event, and her recent delivery of inspiring talks on the Social Sciences leadership programme for postgraduate students.

The Careers and Employability Service eMentoring Awards

We're delighted to announce that the eMentor of the year 2024 has been awarded to Jason Cabot (MComp Computer Science 2007)

Jason was nominated by both students he mentored this year. His mentee from the Spring scheme said that his commitment, regular communication, and insightful guidance were pivotal in shaping his career preparation and he particularly highlighted the impact this had on his knowledge and confidence.

Hundreds of alumni take part in the Careers Service eMentoring every year. Find out more about this programme below and see how you could get involved in mentoring a student too.

eMentoring Programme

Community Fundraisers of the Year 2024

This year's Community Fundraiser of the Year awards goes to Jennie Stevens and Ralph White

Racing 268 miles along the Pennine Way in the depths of winter is not for the faint of heart. But this was the challenge Jennie Stevens set for herself when she embarked on her Winter Spine challenge.

Jennie battled the cold, muscle pain, sleep deprivation and more, all to raise funds for scholarships for low-income students.

As a Student Support Manager at our University, Jennie has seen first hand the struggles of students who work long hours at part-time jobs simply to make ends meet. She wanted to ease their burden. Her goal was to raise £10,8000 - enough to support three female students starting their university careers in September.

Almost six months after her incredible journey, Jennie has raised over £20,000 - enough for SIX students to be awarded a Jennie Stevens Inspire Scholarship this year!

Jennie was joint community fundraiser of the year alongside Ralph White.

At 90 years of age, Ralph undertook the challenging task of climbing the height of Mount Everest (29,031 ft) by repeat-climbing Glastonbury Tor in aid of Parkinson's disease research at the University of Sheffield.

After 55 climbs, Ralph reached his goal. But he didn’t stop there. He extended his challenge to climb the Tor 100 times, all in time for his 91st birthday! Ralph is living proof that community fundraising truly is for everyone and we are so grateful for the money he has raised for such an important cause.