Duo honoured with University’s top student accolade

Kai Uerlichs and Danielle McFawns have been named the joint-winners of this year’s Wimberley Award, given to the student or students who have made the most distinguished contribution to university life.

Kai (22) will cross the stage to collect his BSc (Hons) in Computing on the morning of Tuesday 18 June, while Danielle (25) will graduate with an MA (Hons) in English and Philosophy on the morning of Thursday 20 June.

Kai, from Cologne, Germany, was very active in student representation throughout his university career. Taking on the role as Vice-President of Computing allowed him to successfully campaign for students to have access to specialised equipment for projects and organise professional networking opportunities for his peers. 

Kai also worked closely with the School of Science and Engineering to establish a new platform to empower students, allowing them to provide feedback and to learn more about staff responses. 

“It means a lot to me to receive the Wimberley Award,” he said. “I greatly enjoyed my time at the University and always tried to make the most of it, not just for myself but for my fellow students as well. To see this recognised is amazing.

“I always enjoyed helping people and getting involved in student representation seemed like a great opportunity to do that. I also loved chatting to lots of different people and making new connections. Working with all the Computing and School staff, as well as my peers, let us create positive change and that was truly rewarding.”

Danielle, from Dundee, has served as the President of the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law. She will be continuing her journey with student representation as she is set to take on the role of Vice-President of Academia as an elected member of the Dundee University Student Association (DUSA) Executive. 

Danielle has been involved in student representation since the beginning of her time at the University, from being a Class Representative to Humanities Society President and beyond. 

Danielle was instrumental in the organisation of Humanities Expo, for Humanities students that wanted more careers events relevant to their skills. She also lobbied the Student Representative Council for displayed pronouns on University sites to become an opt-out feature, which was successful and will be integrated this summer.

“It means the absolute world to me to be recognised at this level,” she said. “I'm completely honoured. I've had the best time getting stuck in with lots of different projects, but I didn't think much about any sort of recognition at the time. 

“I'm always my own worst critic, and struggle with having confidence in myself and my ideas, so it's hugely validating to see that I've made an impact on the University. I'm so grateful to everyone who's been a part of my journey and given me the opportunities to do any of this in the first place.”

Kai will be making the move to Glasgow after Graduation to pursue a career in software engineering. 

Danielle is joining the DUSA Executive as the Vice-President of Academia where she hopes to continue her work on AI and academic integrity. Danielle will also be pursuing some postgraduate work focusing on the philosophical and educational impact of videogames on children and young people.