Awards to honour recent graduates

Sydney Law School graduates Alyssa Glass (BIGS ‘13 JD ’18) and Hope Williams (BA '15 LLB (Hons) '18) have been named as finalists for 2018 Graduate Medals, which celebrate the achievements of our newest graduates, and are named in honour of some of our outstanding alumni whose legacy continues to inspire others.

Alyssa Glass is a finalist for the Edmund Barton Medal for master's by coursework achievement. The medal is awarded to a person who has achieved a high standard of academic proficiency, contributed to the diverse life of the University, and may also have contributed to the broader community.

Hope Williams is a finalist for the Convocation Medal for undergraduate achievement. The Convocation Medal honours bachelor's degree graduates who have shown strong leadership and enriched the diverse life of the University of Sydney.

The 19 Graduate Medal finalists, who have achieved excellence and contributed greatly to the University community, will be honoured at a lunchtime ceremony on 9 May, with winners announced on the day.

Alyssa Glass - Finalist for the Edmund Barton Medal for master's by coursework achievement

Graduating with a high distinction average is just one exceptional accomplishment in Alyssa’s outstanding academic record. Selected as valedictorian of her graduating class, Alyssa was awarded the George and Matilda Harris Scholarship in 2016 as well as the prize for the Most Proficient Student in her Juris Doctor cohort.

Alyssa represented the University in the 2017 Philip C Jessup International Moot as part of the victorious team, and was awarded Best Oralist. She has devoted much of her time to mentoring younger law students, including coaching moot teams, and is currently developing a new women’s mooting program. She volunteered as a teacher in a remote Indigenous community in 2013, and ran programs for all students, designed to create an open dialogue about mental health.

Her greatest lesson: “Never give up on yourself and remember that asking for help when you need it is one of the strongest things that you can do.”

Hope Williams - Finalist for the Convocation Medal

Hope achieved a high distinction average and had received six academic prizes in her Bachelor of Arts degree. In her Bachelor of Laws, she received the highest weighted average mark in her Honours cohort, will be published in the Media and Arts Law Revue, and was invited to present her thesis at the National Law Honour Conference and the Australian Media & IP Law Conference.

Academic excellence has defined Hope’s time at the University, but her involvement in the community has also meant a great deal to her. Her work at Lou’s Place, a women’s refugee in Kings Cross, includes teaching drama, fundraising, and sitting on multiple committees. Hope served as President and Vice-president of the Sydney University Law Society, and mentored young women at the Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre.

Her greatest lesson: “Lawyers often acquire reputations as ‘naysayers’, who unduly stifle innovation through excessive regulation. This presents a particular challenge in the technology world, where startups often adopt a ‘launch now, worry later’ attitude towards legal risk. I hope that my time at the University of Sydney has taught me to be a lawyer who views the law as a tool of progress, rather than as an impediment.”

Read the full article on all the 2018 Alumni Award nominees here.