Celebrating the impact of our LSE alumni volunteers
LSE Alumni Volunteer Awards 2025
Every year at LSE thousands of our students are inspired and empowered to volunteer for causes that they are passionate about. Volunteering in effect becomes very much part of an LSE student’s experience and that passion is something that they then take forward in their future life and careers.
So, in recognition of the impact that our alumni have today in their local and wider communities through their volunteering, we established the LSE Alumni Volunteer Awards. Professor Larry Kramer, LSE President and Vice Chancellor, was delighted to present this year’s awards and to celebrate the volunteer work that our alumni do at a special ceremony during LSE Festival Week.
Congratulations to the 2025 Alumni Volunteer Award Winners.
Shaping Ideas for Impact Award
This award is for emerging alumni leaders who are tackling global challenges and the winners, María Francisca Ossa Monge (LLM 2022) and Manuela Ugarte (LLM 2022), were jointly nominated as co-founders of Women in Dispute Resolution Chile. This organisation has helped to foster a more inclusive and equitable environment in the legal profession in Chile.
We were driven by a deep commitment to amplifying the voices and visibility of women in a field where they have often been overlooked, and to encouraging new generations of women lawyers to pursue the path of litigation. Winning this award is both an honour and a powerful reminder that creating space for inclusion and equity is never something to take for granted - and that change begins when we dare to lead it.
Shaping Transformative Learning Award
This award is for alumni volunteers who provide exceptional support to students and the winners, Jonathan Friedman (MSc Comparative Politics 2010) and Despina Manousos Laurent (MSc European Political Economy 2006), were nominated separately for their longstanding support of students and graduates through LSE Careers programmes.
It is a wonderful and unexpected honour to receive this award from LSE. For me, volunteering with the Careers Service has been a joy. I always come back refreshed after visiting campus and meeting brilliant, enthusiastic students. By offering my support, I am also attempting to pay back, if only in a small measure and indirectly, all those who have helped me during my career.
I started volunteering with LSE because I wanted to stay connected with a place that has meant so much to me. LSE shaped my thinking, my career and my confidence; it felt only natural to give back to a community that defined so much of my own journey. Supporting students and recent graduates as they navigate their careers has been both a privilege and a joy
Shaping our Community Award
This award recognises alumni who make an exceptional contribution to the LSE community. It is given in memory of Miranda Germani, an immensely dedicated LSE volunteer and valued member of the Alumni Association Executive Committee, who we sadly lost in 2021.
The winner, Abhilash Puljal (MSc Development Management 2006), was nominated for his commitment to nurturing and developing his fellow alumni volunteers, and for his recent work in supporting the LSE Research and Education Foundation India. This key initiative of LSE in India was announced earlier this year during a trip to India by Larry and other senior members of the School.
Learn more about the LSE Research and Education Foundation India.
I’ve always believed in giving back, and LSE provided the perfect opportunity to do just that, both for the School and society as well. It’s been a fantastic journey staying connected with the vibrant LSE community, from professors to peers, near and far. To be honoured with this award is genuinely moving – it’s a testament to the fact that when you put your heart into it, the community truly notices.
Shaping our Future Award
This award celebrates alumni who show exceptional promise early on in their volunteering journey and the winner, Anshu Choudhary (MSc International Social and Public Policy 2020), was nominated for her enthusiastic leadership of the LSE Women’s Alumni Network, which has shown tremendous growth since its launch in 2023.
My work as a leader of the LSE Women’s Alumni Network involves meeting incredible women and this award wouldn’t have been possible without this network.
Shaping the World Award
In this award for outstanding volunteer contribution, Nay Lin Tun (MSc Health Policy, Planning and Financing 2022), was nominated for his remarkable work in delivering much needed humanitarian aid, volunteer training and mental health support after the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on 28 March 2025. He led the organisation of a volunteer response team, which over the course of nearly three months provided critical medical, nutrition, sanitation and infrastructure services.
Receiving the Shaping the World Award is profoundly meaningful. It recognises that community-driven efforts—founded on compassion, knowledge, and solidarity—can lead to real change. I am honoured to be part of a global alumni network working to build a more just, inclusive, and healthier world.
Thank you to all our alumni around the globe who so generously give their time and expertise to support the LSE community helping to shape student and graduate futures and drive global change. In the words of our President and Vice Chancellor, “the energy we feel from our alumni is one of the things that really keeps us going”.
