Principal's Medal Zoë Nengite

I should now like to introduce the Principal’s Medal. This award was inaugurated thirteen years ago with a gift from three anonymous donors and is supported by Ede and Ravenscroft, believed to be the oldest firm of tailors and robe-makers in the world. The award of the Principal’s Medal recognises students who display exceptional endeavour and achievement during their time at St Andrews. The awards are open to final-year undergraduates and postgraduates in any discipline, and the achievements celebrated are both academic and extra-curricular.

For the academic year 2019 to 2020, the Principal’s Medal was awarded to three outstanding students, and this celebration enables us to bestow the medal in the customary way. Today we recognise Zoë Nengite, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Computer Science – and I am pleased to note that she received a first-class degree.

Zoë’s nomination referenced her formidable intellectual accomplishments: she made the Dean’s List for outstanding academic achievement in each year of study at the University, demonstrating her sustained commitment to excellence, and she graduated with one of the most distinguished academic profiles of her entire cohort. In her spare time, Zoë engaged tirelessly with consciousness-raising activities, particularly in the area of racial and ethnic diversity. In her capacity as the SRC Member for Racial Diversity for the 2019 to 2020 academic year, Zoë founded St Andrews Multicultural Week and she worked to ensure that all students were represented at the highest levels of the University. Zoë’s time at St Andrews set an example for how one can excel personally while supporting others and effecting lasting cultural change. 

The principles of inclusivity and respect which so firmly underscored Zoë’s student days have continued to influence her life beyond University. After graduating in 2020, Zoë assumed a position as a Forward Deployed Software Engineer with Palantir Technologies, based in London, where she works on both public and private-sector projects, including in partnership with The University of Texas’ MD Anderson Cancer Centre on a project investigating the impact of Covid on cancer patients. As a continuing ambassador for widening access, Zoë has increased the scope of Palantir’s engagements with state schools, and she founded the first summer boot camp for high school students to learn foundational data engineering skills. 

Zoë, in recognition of all that you have achieved both academically and personally during your time as an undergraduate, and with great admiration for your ongoing contributions to progressive causes, it gives me great pleasure to bestow upon you the Principal’s Medal.