A Bristol University student was joint runner-up in Real World’s Graduate of the Year 2004 competition.

Hannah Marder, who is studying Immunology, was awarded a prize of £2,000 for her achievements which include raising money for Red Cross and a local hospice and running after-school outings for children from poor housing.

The competition – the first of its kind and launched by Real World magazine in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers and HigherInsight – is a celebration and recognition of student achievement over and above academic expectations.

Entrants were asked to provide examples of where they felt that they had made a real difference, contributed to their community and overcome challenges. At a time when students are faced by unprecedented pressures of debt and part-time work, the judges were stunned by some of the outstanding contributions made by competition entrants.

On judging the two hundred applicants, Tim Forster of PricewaterhouseCoopers commented, “It was humbling to see how much these students had contributed to benefit other people over themselves.”

Credit for photo: Domenico Pugliese