A young person from Nigeria, Dr Princess Alabi, has been honoured with The Diana Award, the highest accolade a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts.
Alabi, aged 25, was recognised for the award for going above and beyond to create and sustain positive change.
Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Award is given out by the charity of the same name and has the support of both her sons, HRH The Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex.
The recipients were nominated by adults who know the young people in a professional capacity and want to recognise their efforts to make a positive contribution to society.
All Diana Award Recipients have dedicated a minimum of 12 months to leading positive social change through a variety of activities from campaigning and educating, to fundraising and delivering services.
This year, The Diana Award received over 1700 nomination submissions, making this the most competitive year yet.
Also, there were over 80 volunteers representing over 30 countries, who came together in panels, read through and marked each nomination against five key criteria: vision, social impact, inspiring others, youth leadership, and social action journey.
Each judging panel consisted of at least three judges who understand the value of young people, including one young person representative
Alabi was the first female president of the Ilorin University Medical Students’ Association who pioneered initiatives to enhance academic, social, and infrastructural resources for over 1,500 medical students, including raising about $30,000 to build a multifunctional secretariat.
Alabi engaged students through academic, business and talent development initiatives, as well as fostering social responsibility among medical students through blood donation drives and medical outreach programmes in rural communities.
Her efforts also improved alumni engagement and media visibility, inspiring future leaders and leaving a legacy of inclusivity and empowerment across the community.
Speaking on the award, the Chief Executive Officer of The Diana Award, Dr Tessy Ojo, congratulated Alabi for being the award recipient.
She noted that the award would inspire other young people to be involved in their communities.
“We warmly congratulate our new Diana Award Recipients from across the world who are dedicating their time to making positive change. These young people demonstrate that young people have the power to change the world; a belief also held by Diana Princess of Wales. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities,” Ojo said.
Copyright PUNCH NEWS
