STUDENT OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2008
Mohamed Zahras Duwahir
University of Leicester
WINNER OF
E.ON Xcel Engineering & Technology
Student of the Year Award
E.ON Xcel Engineering & Technology
Student of the Year Award
Mohammed Zahras Duwahir was this year’s winner of the E.ON Xcel Engineering and Technology Student of the Year award. Zahras won his award for exceptional academic performance at the University of Leicester where he studied his degree.
Zahras came to the UK to study Engineering after achieving top A Level results in Maths, Further Maths and Physics. Not only did Zahras gain an A grade in each subject, he also won an< award from the examining body Edexcel.
From such good foundations, Zahras has gone from strength to strength at university. Zahras’s ability in his subject was clearly demonstrated at the end of the first year of his course where he gained highly commendable results; indeed he came top of the year with an average mark of 85.4%. This remarkable performance was recognised by his university with awards such as ‘Best Performance in the First Year’ and ‘IMechE Best Student Certificate’. Zahras’s second year marks averaged 73% which earned him the prestigious title of ‘Best Student’.
During his degree, Zahras did a placement with Airbus UK where he gained experience in a worldclass company. This placement gave Zahras invaluable skills in software development and CFD. Throughout his studies, Zahras has consistently attained high results and his final year was no exception. With the same commitment as previous years, Zahras obtained an average of 79.5% in his final year, topping everyone in his year! This result won Zahras numerous awards for that year’s performance.
The final year project, which he completed using the skills gained from his work placement and university studies, gained Zahras a prize for ‘Best Project’ by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
In addition to engineering, Zahras has always looked for opportunities to improve in other fields. He recently took up a course in Business and Management called the ‘Leicester Award for Employability Skills (LAES)’, during his final year. Taking on this highly demanding course at such a crucial time in his degree studies was tough for Zahras but he managed his time very well, gave it his best and completed the course whilst contributing to his degree to the maximum of his ability.
Even though Zahras has won other awards for his achievements at university, he was particularly delighted to receive an award from Xcel: “The award itself was prestigious and I feel honoured to achieve the Xcel award. I would like to thank all the people who made it happen. This award sets me up in a position to see how much I actually achieved, and encourages me to cross any hurdles I might come across in life. My family were pleased with me winning such a prestigious award on such a beautiful night in London. The awards dinner, the guests, winners and all the people who were attending that night made it special.”
So, what’s so special about winning an Xcel student award? “The Xcel Awards ceremony aimed at students from different ethnic origins will surely inspire students, especially international students. It would also be a chance for the students to meet influential people and stand out due to their achievements. This could help them in the next stage of their life after being a student.”
Interview by: Emily Crane
