Student Bas Jan wins Hanze Inclusion Award for working with status holders

Hanze student Bas Jan van Duinen is the winner of the very first Hanze Inclusion Award and receives a cash prize of €1,000. The award was presented on Thursday, March 19, in the lead-up to the International Day against Discrimination and Racism on March 21.

Photo: Daniek Snijder

For the past two years, Bas Jan has supported status holders in their studies and daily lives. As a Social Work student, he serves as a buddy within Hanze’s Grotius programme, which helps statusholders navigate the Dutch education system. He also encourages fellow students to sign up as buddies.

According to the jury, he demonstrates how personal commitment and a clear sense of social responsibility can inspire others and strengthen an inclusive community. 

First edition of the Hanze Inclusion Award

This year marks the first time the Hanze Inclusion Award has been presented. With this award, we recognise students and employees who contribute to accessible,safe, and inclusive education and a supportive working environment. They identify where friction exists, speak up about what can be improved, and take initiative to ensure that differences in background and perspective are fully acknowledged. Often, this work happens alongside their formal roles and remains largely invisible, which is precisely why it deserves recognition.

The award also reflects a clear ambition: to structurally embed inclusion within our organisation and education. Petra Smeets, member of the Executive Board, states: “Creating an environment where everyone matters and feels welcome, safe, and heard is a shared responsibility. These winners show, in an inspiring way, what works. At the same time, they represent what we as Hanze aim to make standard practice, in our policies, our frameworks, and our daily actions.” 

Award winners 

In addition to the main student prize, two encouragement awards of €250 were granted to Zoey Hoiting and Noémia Sangu. Zoey receives an encouragement award for their contribution to an inclusive community within the Creative Media and Game Technologies and Communication & Multimedia Design programmes. Noémia receives an encouragement award for her work on ethnic bias in the workplace.

The employee award, worth €750, goes to John Lopez. John developed educational content that encourages students to think critically about inclusivity, accessibility and representation in game design. 
Due to the high quality of submissions, the jury also awarded an additional encouragement prize of €250 to Dilara Figengül. Dilara, lecturer in Applied Psychology, receives an encouragement award for her efforts in fostering a sense of belonging within the programme, creating space for voices that are not always heard and raising awareness of blind spots among both students and colleagues.

Further reading: 
Diversity and inclusion at Hanze