Aero undergraduates Ramana Sabapathy and Riya Gujarathi have been awarded Old Centralian’s Trust Student Activity Awards.

Every year, the Old Centralians' Trust selects two undergraduate students from each department in the Faculty of Engineering, with each award being valued at £750. These annual awards recognise undergraduate students for their pursuits of extra-curricular activity during their time at Imperial. 

This year's winners

Ramana says "It is a great honour to have been selected as a recipient of the Student Activity Award. Being involved in student life is something that I'm very passionate about. It means a lot to me that I have been recognised for contributing to the student experience at College.”

Since 2017, Ramana has directed a theatrical play by the Singapore Society. As CGCU Communications Chair, Ramana has organised career activities, campaigns, wellbeing events, and worked with many different student leaders to improve student life. He has welcomed foreign delegates as a Senior President’s Ambassador, and has given campus tours, as well as Student Life talks to schools around the world.

He has played for the College on a national level as a handball player, and represented Aeronautics and the College at the world’s largest space conference in Washington D.C. last year (the International Astronautical Congress).

Likewise, third-year student Riya Gujarathi has been recognised for her varied extra-curricular activities.

She has been involved with the IC Space Society, a rep for Horizons (the Centre for Languages, Culture & Communication, where she learns Russian) and is on the committee for the Scuba Diving Society. She also plays for the IC women’s rugby team. 

As STEM ambassador, she has gone into schools to talk to young children and answer their questions about space. “This was an amazing opportunity - I loved being able to talk to young people about things I’m passionate about and hopefully inspire them to study a STEM subject later in life!”

Speaking in response to receiving the award, Riya says “I was genuinely surprised to be given this award - but I’m very grateful to receive recognition of what I’ve done outside of my studies. It’s great to experience everything the College has to offer, and to be able to give something back too!”

The Old Centralians' Trust forms the charitable arm of the City & Guilds College Association, the alumnus body for students and staff of the Faculty of Engineering within Imperial College - formerly the City & Guilds Constituent College. Instituted in 1965, its primary goal has always been to assist any students of engineering within the City & Guilds College who fell into financial difficulty, through no fault of their own, at any time after commencing their studies.

More information about the City & Guilds College Association can be found here.