Women in higher education continue to break barriers, drive change, and champion success for their students and institutions.
One powerful example is Thrive, a personal development programme at the University of Warwick. It continues to make a profound impact.
Recently, Thrive won Gold in the ‘Nurturing Wellbeing and Purpose’ category at the QS Reimagine Education Awards 2024.
In addition, Sarah Bennett, Thrive Project Manager, received the University of Warwick’s Wonder Winner award for her leadership.
Empowering Students Through Connection
Thrive is an in-person programme for both undergraduates and postgraduates. Students engage with inspiring speakers and access mentorship support.
They gain tools for personal and professional growth in a space designed to uplift and empower.
Led by a dedicated team of female facilitators and mentors, Thrive fosters confidence, resilience, and purpose among students.
As a result, it has become a powerful platform for self-discovery and transformation.
Women supporting women
At the heart of Thrive is a community of women supporting women.
Facilitators, mentors, and students collaborate to create an environment where everyone is empowered to grow.
Sarah Bennett, shared her passion for the programme:
“I find it hugely rewarding working with our wonderful students, supporting them on their journey of personal growth, and seeing their confidence increase.
The programme creates a sense of community by bringing together like-minded women, and the inspiring range of guest speakers really helps bring the topics discussed to life. With the support of an amazing team of facilitators, I’m delighted to have expanded
the programme in 2024-25 to reach even more students.”
The impact of Thrive has been reflected in the voices of students who have participated:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Thrive programme. Hearing from such a large variety of speakers with their own unique experiences made me feel a lot less alone in navigating the challenges of the world as a woman. I feel a lot more confident going into social and career-based situations now.”
Global recognition
The QS Reimagine Education Awards honour innovations that improve learning and employability.
Thrive’s recognition highlights the dedication of Warwick’s Student Opportunity team.
Parmjit Dhugga, Head of Skills, Student Opportunity, praised the team’s achievement:
“A huge congratulations to the team for coordinating the design and achieving global recognition for this new student development programme in under two years. The award is also a lovely recognition for all the Thrive contributors—speakers, facilitators, mentors, and allies—who have believed in the value of what we are doing. This is just the start as we continue to grow Thrive to serve additional groups of Warwick students this academic year.”
Creating a legacy
Beyond student support, Thrive also fosters connections among its mentors and facilitators.
It’s a space where women at all stages uplift one another.
Sarah adds:
“Participants can also benefit from the support of an amazing female mentor to support them beyond the Thrive programme. The whole ethos of Thrive is women supporting women, and in addition to supporting our female students with their personal development, this extends to providing opportunities for our wonderful facilitators and amazing mentoring community to connect and support each other. An annual celebration event sees all Thrive cohorts from the current academic year, plus our wider Thrive community, get together to reflect and celebrate.”
As we celebrate International Women’s Day and the remarkable women in higher education, Thrive stands as an example of what’s possible and will continue to empower, inspire, and support Warwick students for years to come.
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