A University of Glasgow graduate has been named among the global winners in the prestigious Undergraduate Awards.

The School of Social & Political Sciences’ Izzy Howlett has been named the 2018 Global Winner in Sociology & Social Policy.

Two other Glasgow students – College of Arts Denis Topalović and College of Social Sciences Olivia Carlin were both Highly Commended for two essay submissions. Denis was commended in the Literature category and Olivia was commended in the Business category.

The Undergraduate Awards is the world’s leading undergraduate awards programme which recognises top undergraduate work and then shares this work with a global audience to connect students across cultures and disciplines.

The initiative accepts submissions from students in any Institution of Higher Education in the world.

Izzy from Bury St Edmonds who completed her degree in sociology and philosophy with First Class Honours won her Undergraduate Award for her work on “A Descriptive Study of The Documents Presented to Patients Following Down Syndrome Screening“.

Izzy said: “I was inspired to write about prenatal testing after watching a documentary called “A world without Down’s”, in which it is stated that 100% of Down syndrome pregnancies are terminated in Iceland. As a Sociologist, I was curious to study the social factors which may be influencing this very personal decision. This research was incredibly difficult at times due to the sensitive nature of its content, however found it deeply rewarding and will continue researching health informatics.”

The 23-year-old added: “It is a massive shock to have received this award but I am so grateful to be named among the global winners. I am the first generation in my family to go to University. My time at the University of Glasgow has been a great motivation for me and spurred me on in my research. Sociology has taught me a range of skills that have helped me to see things from a different perspective. And all these skills and experiences I am taking with me into my working life.

“I am currently working in the Civil Service. But in the future I plan to pursue a career in disability research and policy, potentially involving a PhD in the future. I am looking forward to presenting my work at the Undergraduate Awards summit.”

Andrew Smith, Head of Subject in Sociology, said: “All of us in Sociology were delighted to hear of Izzy’s remarkable success at the Undergraduate Awards. Working with our students on their dissertation projects is always a tremendous privilege. It’s constantly exciting to see – as with Izzy’s project – the imagination and critical insight which they bring to their sociological investigations of the world."

As a Global Winner, Izzy will received a fully funded trip to attend the Undergraduate Awards Global Summit in Dublin, Ireland, as well as, a Gold Medal and Certificate of Recognition. Her paper will also be published on The Undergraduate Library and a profile of her work published in the Undergraduate Journal.

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First published: 6 November 2018