Two Schulich Students Honoured with 2020 Flourish Prize
As part of the sustainability course taught by Professor Charles Cho, students were assigned a story writing exercise, in which they had to select, research, and interview a business leader who is making a positive impact and advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (also referred as the SDGs or Global Goals) which cover issues related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and social justice.
Once students finished their assignments, they had the opportunity to submit their story to AIM2Flourish, a platform backed by the United Nations to publish story submissions that serve as sources of inspiration for others.
In 2017, AIM2Flourish launched Flourish Prizes, where they announced and recognized the best story submissions for the year. This year, 76 finalists were selected out of 824 submissions. As the finalists moved on to the final round, a winner was selected by a distinguished jury composed of previous Flourish Prize honourees, professors and story editors for each Global Goal.
We are proud to announce that two Schulich students were honoured with the Flourish Prize this year.
(iBBA ‘21)
Sarah Abdu (iBBA ‘21) was selected as the 2020 Flourish Prize winner for her story, Sustainably Stunning, Ethically Made, on SDG #8: “Decent Work and Economic Growth”.
“When I learned about TAMGA Designs, my intention was to simply tell their story in a way that gives justice to their journey and commitment to sustainability,” shared Abdu. “It was a really nice, unexpected surprise that my article was chosen from 850 global submissions.”
Heather Sharpe (MBA ’19) was selected as the 2020 Flourish Prize winner for her story, Meeting Humanitarian Needs, on the SDG #17: “Partnerships for the Goals”.
“I am honoured to receive a Flourish Prize alongside an incredible organization, like NeedsList. Now more than ever, we need NeedsList’s innovative, fast, and human-centred ways to respond to crises,” shared Sharpe.
(MBA ’19)
“Despite the challenges of finding a company to interview, students have always enjoyed this assignment. AIM2Fourish provides a tremendous opportunity to have their stories published, as well as showcasing the company they interview so it is a win-win. Last year, three of my students were finalists and it was quite rewarding; this year, having two students actually winning the Flourish Prizes for these two SDGs makes me feel very proud of them and the companies they wrote about. It reflects the quality of our students and the sustainability education here at Schulich and the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (COERB),” said Professor Cho.
The prize-winning businesses, professors, universities, and students were honoured during the 2020 Flourish Prizes virtual celebration last week. Stories from organizations around the world celebrating business innovations working towards the United Nations Global Goals can be viewed here.