We’re so proud of our student community. So many Durham students dedicate themselves to supporting and representing their peers, organising big events, celebrating cultures and interests, and shaping their education.

Some go above and beyond. Every year there is a handful of students and staff who have had a huge impact on the lives of Durham students and have made an exceptional contribution to the life of Durham SU.

Our Honorary Life Memberships give those students and staff the recognition they deserve for the hard work and determination they have given to the student community during their time at Durham. We’re really proud to make these incredible people a permanent part of our SU.

Pick a year to see the shortlist: Select a year...2021

Honorary Life Memberships 2021
	Jess Evans	Jess made significant contributions to the Students' Union whilst at Durham, particularly as part of the Students with Disabilities Association (including as president), as an SU Trustee and an active member of Assembly. She was instrumental in supporting and improving the lives of disabled students in Durham, both on a local and national level, and has ensured the progress of SwDA will continue for years to come.
	Kate McIntosh	Kate worked tirelessly for Durham students in continuously difficult circumstances. During her time as SU President, she focused on uplifting the voices of students from marginalised backgrounds, secured a student led accommodation review and worked to make Durham a safer city. She was sector leading in lobbying for better treatment for students from both PBSAs and landlords. Throughout the pandemic, she consistently held the University to account, successfully arguing against the University's destructive "Durham Unbound" proposal and pushed for increased student consultation in major decisions.
	Jess Dunning	Jess has shown outstanding dedication to providing exceptional student experience. As an exec member of Purple Radio, she revamped the studio to ensure it was safe and continued to improve the station leading to national nominations and awards. Jess also created an app for student radio stations to have a single place where people can listen to them. As Opportunities Officer, she successfully lobbied the University to increase pay for student staff, lobbied the University & SU to sign the SDG UN Accord, created partnerships between the SU and community organisations, and promoted the SU not just to the University and students but to the public as well. She single-handedly created a bid for the SRA to be held at Durham and single-handedly organised multiple campaigns for social issues and held an ECO Festival. Jess has given, and continues to give, so much time, energy and love to help better Durham.
	Anna Marshall	During her time at Durham, Anna has been involved in an array of things, striving to make her voice heard. Before becoming an Officer, Anna worked tirelessly in EcoDU and has continued to bring that passion into her job this year. As Opportunities Officer, she has been instrumental in delivering the Democracy Review, working with student groups and ensuring progression on essential climate change work. Most notably, Anna successfully proposed that term should be extended so students are able to have time to enjoy themselves.
	Ewan Swift	Ewan is a true asset to Durham. He has been a champion of students throughout his time in Durham, through his roles in his JCR which ended with him as Senior Welfare Officer and now the Welfare and Liberation Officer at the SU. Ewan is constantly busy and always goes above and beyond to make sure he can achieve the best for students. Ewan has often said that he never wanted to be in a position of power but does this role because he knows he can make the lives of students better.
	Sarah McAllister	Sarah has consistently and wholeheartedly dedicated her time and energy to accurately representing and championing the experiences of postgraduate (PG) students. She has gone above and beyond to address the imbalance in our university when it comes to postgraduate representation and has dedicated her work to resetting the agenda to accommodate postgraduate concerns and interests, most notably with the PG safety net policy. She has built excellent relationships of trust with many students and university staff members, and always ensures whatever space she’s in, she’s making sure student voices are championed.
	Seun Twins	Seun, through her role as SU President, has shown a level of passion, determination and strength unlike any other. In spite of the difficult circumstances entering into the role as President, Seun has never stopped fighting for positive change for students. She has worked tirelessly and hardly ever taken any time off, which whilst should not be praised, stands as testament to her commitment to the student population and repairing the relationships which were broken last year.
	Nailah Haque	Nailah has shown a significant contribution to Durham Students’ Union through her role as Undergraduate Academic Officer and former Durham People of Colour Association President. She has established Welfare Officer drop ins, offered support and advice, and it is evident how much she cares about the community she has served. She has been instrumental in maintaining the Decolonising Durham Network, and her commitment and dedication has created a mark on the University that will be felt for years to come.
	David Evans	David has put an incredible amount of work and personal investment into Durham Students' Union and improving the experiences of students at Durham. He has made a particularly impressive contribution as Postgraduate Academic Officer. He has implemented impressive changes that directly benefit students lives, specifically his work to provide funded printing for Postgraduate Research Students. He has also always supported Liberation Groups and the Associations, as well as individual students in general.
	Max Kendix	Max has made significant contributions to Durham students through his work in student media, working for Palatinate and Purple Radio and as the Media Observer for SU Assembly. As Assembly Media Observer, he has gone above and beyond reading every blog post of the SU Officers and building strong relationships with SU staff in order to produce well-rounded and informed reports. Throughout the year, he has also produced ground breaking reports exposing both the failings and successes of the Students’ Union and in his positions at Palatinate has pushed strongly for fairness, accessibility and diversity.
	Sam Johnson-Audini	Sam demonstrated a significant contribution to Durham Students Union in their role as Undergraduate Academic Officer. Highlights included their work in helping to secure the no-detriment policy, launching Durham's Decolonisation Network and assisting DPOCA in designing the first anti-racism workshop. They remained an outspoken voice for the marginalised in Durham, helping students of colour to feel more celebrated and respected, having those vital conversations about ableism and continuing to represent LGBT+ people following from their term as LGBT+ Association President. This was all in the backdrop of UCU strikes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and online harassment of them and their work.