All the finalists of the annual 2022 Student of the Year contest have gathered in Assembly Hall of SSU Bldg. X ready to find out the name of the winner of the Grand Prix. This year, Diana Mingazova, a student of the Faculty of Law, was recognised as the Student of the Year.
The organiser of the competition, which takes place for the fifth year in a row, was the SSU Council of Undergraduates and Postgraduates. The winners and the prize-winners were determined in nine nominations – Athlete of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Journalist of the Year, Student Leader of the Year, Brigade Student of the Year, Creative Personality of the Year, Young Scientist of the Year, Tutor of the Year, and Freshman of the Year. The participating students passed three stages of the qualifying round – correspondence, intramural (performance-self-presentation), and the finals.
A major intra-university event began with a vocal performance by Alina Merzoyan, under which flags with the symbols of Saratov University and the Russian tricolour were brought to the stage. The host of the event, Arts Director of the Student Club Mikhail Vinogradov invited SSU Rector Aleksei Chumachenko to the microphone.
‘We have many wonderful, award-worthy students who are truly talented in various fields. Their list is very long, but I want it to get even bigger from year to year, I want new names and surnames to appear in it. In total, more than two hundred applications were submitted for the Student of the Year contest – they are backed by brave people who are always held in high esteem, and I thank them for being able to declare themselves. After all, this is just the beginning. If you were able to take the first step, then this is the right way to victory!’ he said, addressing the finalists.
The first nomination was Volunteer of the Year. Olga Kaverina, a student of the Faculty of Economics, took the third place, Daria Igonina, a student of the Faculty of Law, took the second place, and Anton Zuev, a student of the Institute of Chemistry, took the first place. In the Journalist of the Year nomination, a master degree student of the Institute of Philology and Journalism Valeria Agadzhanova and a student of the Faculty of Geology Ilya Shmargun shared the third place, and the students of the Institute of Philology and Journalism Aelita Ponomareva and Arina Kuzina took the second place. The first place of the jury was awarded to Alina Kurylyova, a student of the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics.
In the Scientist of the Year nomination, the third and second places were taken by students of the Faculty of Law – Victoria Maksimova and Maria Belousova, respectively. The first place was taken by a student of the Faculty of Pedagogical and Special Needs Education Angelina Poroshina. The winners of the Mentor of the Year nomination were a student of the Faculty of Computer and Information Technologies Tatyana Melnikova (3rd place) and a student of the Faculty of Pedagogical and Special Needs Education Tatiana Chekmaryova (2nd place), the winner was a student of the Institute of Chemistry Irina Kanaikina.
The places in the Freshman of the Year nomination were distributed as follows: a student of the Faculty of Sociology Irina Marunova – third place, a student of the Faculty of Pedagogical and Special Needs Education Anna Chernyshova – second place, a student of Institute of Philology and Journalism – Karina Utalieva – first place. The most athletic students were: Dmitrii Baryshev, a student of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics (3rd place), Anastasia Vysotskaya, a student of the Institute of Sports and Physical Training (2nd place), and Matvei Shapovalov, a student of the Institute of History and International Relations (1st place).
According to the results of the competition, Mikhail Makhortov, a student of the Institute of Physics (3rd place), Polina Kravtsova, a student of the Faculty of Law (2nd place) and Nikita Krivosheyev, a student of the Faculty of Economics (1st place), showed themselves in the Creative Personality of the Year nomination. Natalia Chernyaeva, a student of Balashov Institute, and Alexandra Kortunova, a student of Geology College, became the Leaders of the Year, they took 3rd place. Julia Barayeva, a student of the Faculty of Psychology, received the second place in the nomination, and the victory was awarded to Daria Yeryomina, a student of the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics.
The last nomination, in which the winner and prize-winner were announced, was Brigade Student of the Year. The third and second places were distributed between the students of the Institute of History and International Relations Alexander Chizhov and Alisa Kiselyova. The first one went to a law student Diana Mingazova. In addition to winning this nomination, Diana received the Audience Award as a result of online voting, as well as the Grand Prix.
‘Last year, I took part in the same nomination, but I was not among the finalists. It didn't break me, it made me stronger. It is very valuable for me to realize that my contribution to the public life of Saratov University, the Faculty of Law, and student groups has not gone unnoticed. It's noticed, it's encouraged, and it's just fine! Our university is a very reliable platform for development, the most important thing is to notice the opportunities that it opens up to us,’ Diana Mingazova said in her speech.