Award recipients
Five LSE students and alumni have received a Princess Diana Award in recognition of their exceptional social action.
The Diana Award — named after the late Princess of Wales — is one of the most prestigious accolades a young person can receive for their social action or humanitarian work. Over 300 young people were presented with the award by The Duke of Sussex during an online ceremony earlier this week.
Among the young changemakers recognised this year were LSE undergraduate students Katrina Lambert and Sarmed Hyder, postgraduate student Elsie Ayotunde Cullen, and alumni Mock Yi Jun and Palak Sharma.
Katrina Lambert, who studies Politics and International Relations, received the Award for her work on gender equality, human rights and advocacy for youth voices in decision making. She has been involved in several campaigns in the UK and became the youngest activist to present evidence to the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva in 2019.
Sarmed Huder studies Philosophy, Politics and Economics and started getting involved in politics after the 2016 EU referendum. The 20 year-old founded YouthPolitics UK, a peer-to-peer youth network to encourage his peers to engage with politics and get their voices heard. Last year, Sarmed led a campaign encouraging thousands of young British people to register to vote.
Elsie Ayotunde Cullen, 25, is enrolled in the MSc Health and International Development programme. She founded the community interest company OURPPLS, which provides access to arts and culture for Londoners who would not otherwise have these opportunities. In addition to her studies at LSE and her work at OURPPLS, Elsie also works as a nurse.
Palak Sharma earned an MSc International Social and Public Policy from LSE in 2020. She co-founded the ‘Green Governance Initiative’, with an aim of influencing policy to make sure the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are implemented at a grassroots level in India. Now based in New Delhi, Palak has trained thousands of young people to understand the SDGs and connected policymakers with young people to create real change.
Yi Jun earned a BSc Politics & International Relations from LSE in 2019. The 23 year-old from Singapore has been recognised for co-founding Advisory Singapore, a youth-led nonprofit that empowers young Singaporeans to make informed career and education choices through industry panels, mentorship and schools-based career guidance. Since its foundation in 2016, Advisory Singapore has engaged with over 139,000 students and youth from all walks of life to overcome economic inequality, find meaningful work and pursue their passions.
Commenting on her Award, Katrina Lambert said: “Princess Diana’s ethos was centred in kindness and a belief that people have the power to change the world around them, which is something that resonates strongly with me. I truly believe that everyone can make a difference in some way and that we all have power when it comes to tackling inequalities in society.”