Happy International Women’s Day to all of our graduates!

As a global community of over 200,000 alumni, we are proud to have an impressive and diverse network of remarkable graduates, making waves in their fields and having an incredible impact around the world.

To mark International Women’s Day 2024, here we highlight some of our fascinating international alumnae who in recent years have each won a British Council Study UK Alumni Award for making positive contributions to their communities, professions and countries.

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Dr Orna Rosenfeld (Urban Regeneration and Development PhD, 2012)

In 2021, Dr Orna Rosenfeld was awarded the global Social Impact Award for her work on housing development across the world.

The award recognised Dr Rosenfeld’s work for advising organisations including UNECE and the World Bank on housing policies and investment. Her work has also helped to increase the provision of social and affordable housing in 56 countries, alongside helping to implement the EU Urban Agenda Housing Partnership and designing an action plan to improve housing knowledge, regulation and investment.

In 2014, Dr Rosenfeld was recognised as a World Cities Summit Young Leader for her contribution to improving urban livability and sustainability. She is currently supporting leaders of global organisations to undertake agenda-setting research, advance housing policy and investment in pursuit of inclusive recovery post-COVID-19.

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Yi Xie (Art and Media Practice MA, 2012)

Yi Xie, a pioneer in immersive entertainment industry between UK and China, won the Culture and Creativity Award as part of Study UK Alumni Awards in China in 2021.

As a representative in China for Society of London Theatre, Yi has produced world-class licensed immersive theatres in China, and has also been selected as senior associate by China Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, China National Innovation Alliance and Shanghai Cultural and Creative Association.

She has also founded Shanghai Drama Plus Co., Ltd, ‘an innovative theatre company that focuses on promoting international IP, producing immersive theatre, and promoting cultural exchanges between China and other countries’.

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Puja Changoiwala (International Journalism MA, 2010)

Puja Changoiwala, an award-winning journalist and author of Indian heritage, was selected as a global winner in the Culture and Creativity Award category in 2023.

Puja is the author of three highly acclaimed books, including Homebound, Gangster on the Run, and The Front Page Murders. As a journalist, she writes about the intersections of gender, crime, social justice, human rights, science and technology in India. Her journalistic works have been published across prestigious publications, including the BBC, CNN, The Guardian, National Geographic, and Al Jazeera, just to name a few.

Puja was a Fellow of the Global Investigative Journalism Network, is a recipient of the International Centre for Journalists’ Coronavirus Reporting Award, and the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity, among many others. She was also the recipient of the Study UK Alumni Awards 2022 in India in the Culture and Creativity Award category.

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Raquel Villaneuva (International Journalism – Broadcast MA, 2009)

Raquel Villanueva, a television host and journalist, won the Culture and Creativity Award as part of the British Council’s Study UK Alumni Awards in the US in 2024.

Her work focuses on science communication and space exploration. She currently works as a commentator and video producer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Raquel served as a broadcast host for the historic landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars in 2021, and in 2022 she co-hosted and helped produce the launch broadcast of NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite. 

Raquel also hosts live streams to engage new audiences with space exploration and produces videos showcasing space missions. Her work aims to provide a platform for engineers and scientists to communicate their work effectively with the public. Raquel previously worked as a reporter and producer for Daily Blast Live, a nationally syndicated program in the United States. She also served as a multimedia journalist in Denver, Colorado.

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We love to share and celebrate your stories, so make sure you keep in touch with us.

Find out more about the Study UK Awards on their website, and keep a look out for the Westminster Alumni Awards 2024 applications this spring.