The TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards are the only undergraduate awards in the UK. Their aim is to identify and celebrate the UK's best undergraduate talent.
For the fifth year running, we are proud to partner with TARGETjobs to seek out an outstanding LGBTQ+ Undergraduate of the Year. We are looking for a student who is either driving positive change within the LGBTQ+ community, breaking down barriers and leaving a legacy, or a visible role model excelling in your field.
We recognise the unequivocal right of every individual to be who they are. We feel a sense of duty to champion, pioneer and campaign for the equal rights of under-represented groups wherever possible. We strive to ensure that we create an environment that not only embraces people from all walks of life but celebrates their identity and individuality, providing a foundation from where they can flourish. We're committed to doing everything possible to deliver greater equality for LGBTQ+ people in our firm, help build the capacity of our clients to be stronger supporters of equality, and drive real change across the world.
Around the globe, being an LGBTQ+ person all too often means you are faced with legal discrimination and persecution. Working with partners in civil society and across the world of business, we are building partnerships and taking strategic action to help dismantle such laws, whilst, at the same time, we work constantly to change cultural attitudes that allow such laws to exist.
From Poland to Singapore, London to Brazil, we are working in courtrooms and communities to make sure no one ever feels that they will face a life of marginalisation simply because of who they are and who they fall in love with. To read more about our work click here.
With this award, we are looking for people who are as fervent as we are about making a real difference. We want to hear from individuals who are actively dedicated to promoting justice and equality, whether that be through being a visible role model to others, driving forward an initiative that has made a real impact or being an active agent for change.
It is more important than ever that we identify those individuals that possess a definitive sense of purpose and who are clearly on the path to becoming a leader of tomorrow. We want to help promote their efforts and support their cause and with this award we will do just that.
Do you identify as LGBTQ+?
Are you passionate about making a difference in your community?
Are you a trailblazer for LGBTQ+ rights?
Are you an individual who has made significant contributions to the lives of other students who might be struggling with their identity?
Are you an LGBTQ+ role model for others in your field of expertise whether that be academic, professionally or other?
If you resonate with the above, we're keen to hear from you.
By entering LGBTQ+ Undergraduate of the Year, you could win either a place on our SPARK scheme or a one-week internship in our diversity and inclusion team as well as networking opportunities with the firm's LGBTQ+ network.
You will also receive £500 towards either driving your initiative further or a donation to your LGBTQ+ charity of choice.
Applications have now closed.
Joel Mordi (he/him/they/them) – University of East London, Social Sciences
LGBTQ+ UGOY WINNER 2022
Joel Mordi is the founder of M.I.F Nigeria, Nigeria’s largest charity focused on achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals. He is a Young Leader advocate for Safe Passage, part of a group of people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds campaigning for change. He organised Nigeria's first ever pride protest (spanning one month) and notably won the Sheila McKechnie Foundation award.
He takes a varied approach to campaigning, which includes working with and amplifying the work of existing charities already doing groundwork in the UK, Nigeria and throughout the African diaspora.
Sam Winton (he/him) – University of St Andrews, Economics and International Relations
LGBTQ+ UGOY RUNNER UP 2022
Sam is an #IWill Youth Ambassador and Scottish Rowing Board Director. He is founder of Here For Sport, an organisation looking to break down barriers to participation in sport and ensure that sport is an inclusive, accessible place for all. His most noteworthy work is on the rights of transgender athletes, helping create more inclusive practices which enable both transgender and non-binary athletes to compete. Sam also led the first Scottish Rowing Pride event and has worked nationally to shape best practice through the Sports For Development Coalition, and the Sport and Recreation Alliance. He applied for the award to bring greater attention to the work of Here For Sport, and increase his confidence as a gay man in the sporting world.
George is our LGBTQ+ Undergraduate of the Year 2021 winner and in this video he shares why entering the competition was a great opportunity to raise the profile of his efforts and meet other like-minded individuals. This year's prizes are designed to support you in your efforts, as well as provide you with meaningful work experience that suits your interests.
George Barker (he/him) – University College London, Medicine and Surgery
LGBTQ+ UGOY Winner 2021
During his first year at University College London, George undertook a module in Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), which involved teaching a comprehensive and LGBTQ+ inclusive RSE curriculum in schools across North London.
He has gone on to train over 130 students to deliver RSE and has delivered sessions to over 500 pupils. He went from being co-ordinator of the project at UCL for a year, expanding the programme to include additional talks on topics such as HIV, blood donation and the importance of teaching about consent, to becoming the National Director of the charity Sexpression:UK, which oversees and co-ordinates the running of similar projects involving over 1,000 students at over 25 universities across the country.
In this video, our 2020 winner Zareen tells us more about her work with FUSE and what winning the competition has meant to her and the work she is doing.
Zareen Roy-Macauley (she/her) – University of Cambridge, Human, Social and Political Sciences
LGBTQ+ UGOY Winner 2020
Zareen was the 2020 winner of LGBTQ+ Undergraduate of the Year and she was the first LGBTQ+ officer of the African and Caribbean Society in Cambridge, where she worked to improve LGBTQ+ inclusion within the African and Caribbean community. She later became the first ever president of FUSE – a society for BME LGBTQ+ students. Alongside her team, Zareen relaunched the society and enhanced its capacity by establishing new committee roles, securing a source of funding and introducing new social media strategies. FUSE is now widely cited as a place of community and safety for BME LGBTQ+ students in Cambridge.
Zareen completed our SPARK programme in 2020 and is now a Future Trainee.
Lizzie Finch (they/them) – University of Surrey, BSc in Psychology
LGBTQ+ UGOY Runner Up 2020
Lizzie is a recent graduate from the University of Surrey where they studied a BSc in Psychology. During their time at university, they were the 2017/2018 Vice President of the university’s LGBTQ+ society.
Lizzie spent their placement year as the Inclusive Diversity and Gender Pay Gap undergraduate at Pfizer, where they worked on various inclusion projects that helped create positive change for minority employees within the company. One of Lizzie’s proudest achievements is the publication of Pfizer UK’s Transitioning in the Workplace Guidelines, which they wrote. Currently, they are freelancing as a workshop leader on non-binary inclusion, offering training and consultation to companies that wish to improve their inclusion of non-binary people in their workplaces.
Tom Moran (he/him) – University of Lancaster, Management and Information Technology
LGBTQ+ UGOY Winner 2019
Tom, who identifies as both gay and autistic, was the 2019 winner of LGBTQ+ Undergraduate of the Year. He was the founder and President of Lancaster University’s Sign Language Society, where he taught weekly sign language classes with the aim of improving the experiences of deaf people on campus. Tom was also the Lead for Students with Learning Differences and the Disability Representative for Lancaster’s LGBTQ+ society, championing intersectional inclusion and standing as a role model for his autistic peers.
Since winning the award, Tom has undertaken international legal work experience in the firm’s Brussels and Hong Kong offices. He has also been able to use the award as a platform to speak about the importance of inclusion with the BBC, the National Autistic Society and myGwork.
Tom is now a Trainee at the firm.
For the fifth year running we are partnering with National Student Pride (NSP) and Attitude magazine for our LGBTQ+ UGOY award. NSP is the biggest gathering of LGBTQ+ students in the UK. Their annual event is held in February (LGBTQ+ History Month), featuring talks and debates with inspirational activists, a weekend of roof-raising pride parties and the UK’s largest queer-inclusive recruitment fair.
As the world’s biggest LGBTQ+ media brand, Attitude has used its platform to elevate and celebrate the trailblazers of tomorrow, be it through the magazine, their social and digital platforms or the Attitude Awards and Pride Awards. "We are proud to continue uplifting the voices of tomorrow through our sponsorship of Clifford Chance's LGBTQ+ Undergraduate of the Year award.'' Cliff Joannou, Editor in Chief, Attitude
For the second year running we are delighted to be partnering with myGwork, who are an LGBTQ+ business community for graduates, professionals, and inclusive employers. They work with businesses and individuals alike to promote workplace equality and employment opportunities. ''We're proud to be co-sponsoring the LGBTQ+ Undergraduate of the Year award. Amidst all the barriers LGBTQ+ students face, it is important to promote the successes of role models within our community." Adrien Gaubert, Co-founder and CMO of myGwork
As we try to build a better, more sustainable future, it is the fundamental principles of the law that guide us, as a responsible business: equality and fairness, access to justice, effective regulation and government, and the promotion and protection of human rights. Our 2020 report demonstrates our commitment to sustainable growth and how it has endured and been strengthened during a period of uncertainty and change.
Read More
