Oxford researcher named international student of the year
28 Apr 09
Matthew Morton, a DPhil student from the United States, has been named International Student of the Year by the British Council.
Matthew was one of 12 regional finalists selected out of over 1,500 students of 118 different nationalities who entered this year’s International Student Awards competition, known as Shine!
The finalists were invited to London last week, for two days of celebrations and further interviews by the judges. The national winner was announced by Moira Stewart OBE at an award ceremony on the final day.
Accepting a trophy and £2,000 prize, Matthew said: ‘For me, Shine seemed like a great opportunity to bring attention to the youth projects that I work with. I thought that however far I progressed, it could only have a good outcome for those groups. I’ve enjoyed connecting with the other finalists – all of them are astonishing, and it’s been great to hear about their many achievements.’
The awards are an initiative from the British Council that shines a spotlight on international students and their contributions to life in the UK. Entrants were asked to describe in a letter how their experiences in UK institutions and communities have helped them develop new life skills and influenced their interests and goals, and how they have contributed to life in Britain.
In his letter Matthew wrote about the work he is doing with the Youth Development Project (YDP) in Oxford and how he acts as a mentor to a local sixteen-year-old. He has helped the YDP establish links with an Albanian youth group to organise a joint leadership forum.
Alongside this work in Oxford, the European Commission selected Matthew, who is a member of Green Templeton College, as a consultant for a senior-level workgroup looking at evaluating its Cohesion Policy. His DPhil research focuses on youth development and organizational behavior in the Middle East and is jointly supervised by the Department of Social Policy & Social Work and the Saïd Business School.
Matthew also gave the keynote address at the UK’s first National Student Leadership Forum held at the Scottish Parliament, and has found time to run for the University’s Cross Country Club.
The judges for the final were representatives from the British Council, The UK Council for International Student Affairs, the National Union of Students, and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, as well as last year's International student award winner, Stephenie Tiew.