Last week Macquarie celebrated the Professor Judyth Sachs ‎PACE Prizes at an awards ceremony for students who made outstanding achievements during their PACE activities in 2014.

The winners were chosen from more than 4500 students who undertook local, regional and international activities with our 1200-plus partner organisations.

PACE Academic and Program Director Lindie Clark, explains the prizes were awarded for outstanding accomplishments in mutually beneficial outcomes.

“The level of achievement in the 2014 submissions was so high that a total of 13 winning activities were chosen, including both individual and group work,” she said.

Hosted by Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) Professor Sherman Young, the event included an inspirational presentation by Anne-Marie Elias, initiator of The Collective NSW, who discussed the four important considerations observed by PACE to affect positive social change in the community, including connecting with people, collaboration, innovation and courage.

Students also responded on film to the many skills, observations and initiatives they had gained throughout their PACE activities, thanks to the leadership shown by their academic advisors, unit convenors, partner organisations and colleagues.

Some of the winning activities included producing a film showcased at the PUKAÑAWI Human Rights Film Festival, a mentoring program for refugees from Darfur, and involvement in cutting-edge scientific research on the Huntsman Telephoto Eye project with the Australian Astronomical Observatory.

Visit the PACE Prizes webpage for a full list of the 2014 winning activities, including  a video of the event.

“The awards night is one of the most inspiring and enjoyable tasks in my role,” said Lindie. “The selection process for the prizes consistently draws together an extraordinary list of achievements by PACE students, staff and partners in activities locally, regionally and internationally, and 2014 did not fail to impress.”

Below our PACE students share their stories.

Congratulations to all our award winners.