This year’s judges, Dr Alison Wood and Dr Robin Bunce, awarded three Changemakers Prizes, each worth £250, at The Foundation Dinner on 21 October 2025.
The Prizes recognise outstanding students who have demonstrated a significant commitment to creating positive change in the community during their time at College. It rewards students who have inspired those around them, driven positive social impact and made a real difference, through volunteering, enabling others, starting initiatives, or advocating for a thriving world in the systems in which they work. Pooya Kamvari, CEO and founder of company HomeRun is a Homerton alumnus, and Changemakers mentor. He generously sponsors two of the Changemakers Prizes, the third being sponsored by the Changemakers programme.
The winners were Andre Pancholi, Clara Akingbade and Talia Turay.
Andre Pancholi
What the judges said:
Andre’s application to the Changemakers Prize 2025 clearly demonstrates that he has, during his time in Cambridge, made a significant difference for social change. Whether through co-founding Pathia – an AI-powered neurodiversity education platform; his work with the JCR - particularly expanding well-being health provision; or his fundraising; or his work planting trees, Andre is constantly making positive change. Andre’s work reflects his ability to collaborate with existing institutions, to innovate, create communities, and enrich communities. With this in mind the judges were delighted to award Andre a Changemakers Prize 2025.
Andre said:
‘I’ve been involved in Changemakers for three years (since 2022). Often at Cambridge, we become quite siloed within our own degrees - due to how intense the workload is. So I was really excited to join a trans-disciplinary programme focused on cutting-edge solutions to complex issues. As a Geography student - where we have a tendency to be very critical (at times, without directly offering tangible alternatives) - Changemakers offered a generative approach to learning that complemented my academic work perfectly.
Primarily, Changemakers helped me develop my interpersonal skills. I’ve met people from so many different sectors and backgrounds, and I’ve learned how to network and build professional relationships - something you rarely get taught in formal education. As someone passionate about social entrepreneurship, this has been invaluable for accessing expertise and building an advisory network.
Beyond that, Changemakers is incredibly well-resourced and provides free access to transformative learning opportunities. This kind of supra-curricular education is often inaccessible - especially for students or young professionals - so I really value Changemakers’ commitment to widening participation and making this kind of learning open to all.
Winning the Catalyst Fund Showcase with the Pathia team was my proudest achievement. It was the culmination of months of collaboration, creativity and perseverance. Seeing our idea develop into a tangible prototype and receiving recognition from the Changemakers community was incredibly rewarding.
Winning the Changemakers Prize was amazing - I felt genuinely proud of myself. It was great to have my extracurricular work recognised, from expanding wellbeing provision at my college as part of the JCR, to developing socially positive AI applications, to leading grassroots environmental advocacy. It felt validating to have that work celebrated in such a meaningful way.”
Clara Akingbade
What the judges said:
Clara - Clara’s submission for the Changemakers Prize 2025 impressed the judges. Indeed, the submission had a strong focus on social impact, particularly through youth empowerment, work around digital rights, and advocacy. Clara’s work on London’s Inclusion Charter, and the State of Girls' Rights Report demonstrated that she was making a significant difference for social good, working with existing institutions to build community and to further gender equality. With this in mind the judges decided to award Clara one of the Changemakers Prizes 2025, and wish her every success with her ongoing program of activism against gender based violence.
Clara said:
“I've been involved with Changemakers since the start of my Homerton journey and it has been time so well spent!
Taking part in numerous 'Tuesday Conversations', the 'Gamechangers Residential' and the most recent 'Annual Changemakers Residential' have all been super enjoyable and have further motivated me to continue striving to make positive impact beyond the University.
The additional programmes, events with guest speakers, and trips throughout the year have all meant that a super versatile offer was provided and I'm so grateful to have taken part!
Winning this prize definitely takes the spot of proudest moment! So many of the other experiences have definitely been really special such as the insightful time at The Eden Project in Cornwall, however, being awarded with the Changemakers Prize serves as a meaningful reminder to keep going in my impact work.
I'm incredibly grateful for this recognition and look forward to using the funds to further my impact endeavours! What's to come is very exciting and I am keen to grow my learnings!”
Talia Turay
What the judges said:
Talia - Talia’s submission, which detailed some of the changemaking work that she undertook during her second year at Cambridge, impressed the judges as clear evidence that Talia was making a significant difference for social good. This was clear through her work with Black Girls Space, which is doing the much-needed work of creating a stronger sense of belonging for Black women and non-binary people in Cambridge. The judges were also impressed with Talia’s work volunteering with NGOs across the world. The judges wish Talia every success with Black Girls Space, and are delighted to award her one of the Changemakers Prizes 2025 in recognition of her work building community, in order to help reimagine how Black women and non-binary people occupy, archive and celebrate their place at Cambridge University.
Talia said:
I first took part in a few Changemakers events when I started at Homerton two years ago, but the 2025 Changemakers residential marked the beginning of my more intentional involvement. I wanted to join because of the variety of ideas, discussions, and opportunities the programme offered. It felt like a great space to broaden my perspective and open my mind to new ways of thinking.
Personally, Changemakers has really strengthened my sense of agency. It’s given me a renewed excitement and a more intentional way of thinking about both the present and the future. I’ve met incredible people I might not have crossed paths with otherwise. In terms of my initiatives, the programme has sparked new ideas and given me a framework for identifying who I might collaborate with to bring those ideas to life.
Although it wasn’t done directly through Changemakers, the achievement I’m most proud of is the International Women’s Day Formal I helped organise with Black Girl’s Space. Bringing so many women together to celebrate, especially through the documentary we created, was incredible. I believe that my experience with Changemakers helped me build the confidence I needed to plan the event and deliver my speech on the night.
It was an honour to win the Prize - especially knowing how many amazing people are part of Changemakers. Being recognised among them was really special. I see it as motivation to keep creating change and exploring the areas I’m passionate about, particularly mentorship and international community-building.”
