A student from the University of Chester has been honoured with a national award for her contributions to the student community.

University of Chester's Opeyemi Da-Silva has won the Student Partnership Impact award, handed out by the SEDA and Jisc partnership.

The award recognises students who have had a significant impact at their universities relating to Educational Development.

Ms Da-Silva, originally from Lagos, Nigeria, has been recognised for her work in developing resources for international students to help them settle into UK university life both socially and academically.

Ms Da-Silva was nominated by Dr Helen Galbraith, senior pro vice-chancellor and chief operating officer at the University of Chester.

The nomination was for Ms Da-Silva's role as a Student Race Advocate, a position the University established in 2020.

Student Race Advocates are intermediaries who give voice to Black, Asian, and other Ethnic Minority students within the University’s decision making and activities.

Ms Da-Silva's most significant achievement in this role was the development of a support handbook for international students, addressing the specific needs of Black, Asian and other Ethnic Minority students.

She has said: "During my tenure as a Student Race Advocate for the School of Psychology at the University, I recognised the importance of addressing the unique challenges faced by Black, Asian and other Ethnic Minority students.

"To proactively engage with this issue, I initiated a comprehensive outreach initiative aimed at improving their university experience."

Ms Da-Silva also co-produced an instructional video tutorial on Moodle, the University's virtual learning environment.

The video was designed to helo students get used to the platform.

Dr Yingyi Liu, senior lecturer in psychology, said: " She is truly one of a kind and we were lucky to have her."

Ms Galbraith said: "We are so proud of Opeyemi and the legacy she is leaving for future students."