Today, the city of Ghent awarded Sukh Preet Singh, biomedical laboratory technology student at HOGENT and one of the driving forces of the U!REKA Student Council, as the Ghent Student of the Year. This annual award goes to a student from one of Ghent's higher education institutions who has made a remarkable contribution to fellow students, education, the city and/or society. In his acceptance speech, Singh called the title of Ghent Student of the Year "quite an honour and a recognition of our efforts" and explicitly thanked fellow student Maxim Van Impe: "He was the pioneer. Without him, I would not be standing here."
Since 1 January 2024, HOGENT, along with five other European Universities of Applied Sciences and a range of 'associated partners' - including city of Ghent - has been part of the U!REKA European University Alliance. Singh is heavily involved in this, along with fellow student Maxim van Impe who paved the way. Both are actively engaged in the HOGENT student council Revolte and were the driving forces behind the creation of the U!REKA Student Council, the international student participation council that held its first official meeting at the U!REKA Connects event in Ostrava in early June. This is quite an achievement, bearing in mind that the students obviously have to combine this commitment with studies and internships, and - not insignificantly - that they managed this process very autonomously and without much support.
Strong reputation in participation
HOGENT has a long tradition and strong reputation when it comes to student participation, so it is by no means a coincidence that the college took a leading role in shaping that student participation also at the level of the U!REKA European University Alliance.
This was not easy: both the way and the extent to which student participation is organised vary greatly within the U!REKA partner organisations. So this academic year it was a matter of turning those differences in approach and vision into a common project with a clear structure and a well-defined goal. Partly under Singh's instigation, this led to a U!REKA Student Council with outlined statutes and a first physical meeting during HOGENT's International Week (22-25 March).
Ambassador
Alderwoman for Youth Hafsa El-Bazioui praised Singh for his efforts to help build effective and sustainable cooperation between students in an international context: "He puts U!REKA's mission - to contribute to 'climate neutral & smart cities' - in the attention of fellow students. Singh is also an ambassador of a more international study career, but equally of Ghent as a vibrant and connecting student city on its way to climate neutrality."