Jacob Tettey Diameh, a Regent University alumni, has received the 2020 Swanny Intercultural Impact Award. The award recognises people who have made an impact in the lives of students from different backgrounds and helped to shape their academic experience.
Jacob, who graduated from Regent University College of Science and Technology in 2018, was among the recipients recognised in May 2020 for going above and beyond and actively seeking to make a difference.
The award is organised by the Students’ Union of the University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK, and is considered one of the most prestigious student awards at the university. Awardees are determined after students nominate their peers in a series of categories. Following a shortlisting and judging process, winners are selected.
After completing a BSc. degree programme in Management with Computing from Regent and graduating with first-class honours, Jacob proceeded to an MSc. degree in International Business at the University of Lincoln.
“As a fresh postgraduate student studying in the UK, I was new to British culture and the UK educational system. Leaving Ghana to live and study in a new country really took me out of my comfort zone,” Jacob shared.
“My first few weeks as an international student was full of uncertainty, and a bit challenging. However, I am happy to say that my experience as a student at Regent gave me the foundation I needed for postgraduate study. Just as I did as an undergrad, I familiarised myself with course modules ahead of time and did my best to attend every lecture.
“I made a number of friends from different parts of the world; China, Pakistan, Russia, Nigeria, Vietnam, Thailand. Outside the classroom, I had a number of great conversations with my lecturers as well,” Jacob narrated.
“After some months and finally finding my feet, I made it a point to help other international students who needed assistance getting accustomed to postgraduate study in the UK. Knowing how it felt to be in an unfamiliar environment made me develop empathy for international students who were going through what I went through as a fresh international student. I reached out to help other students from different cultural backgrounds with academic work. It was a very rewarding experience,” Jacob added.
Jacob’s sense of initiative has captured the attention of students and staff at the university. As an international student, he was voted Postgraduate Officer, winning against two British candidates to represent the entire Postgraduate Student body at the University of Lincoln.
With this new position, Jacob represents postgraduate students on the University’s Academic Board, the Medical School Board, and other Boards and Committees of the University.
