On Wednesday, December 10, the 2025 ECHO Awards were presented during a festive ceremony at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in The Hague. The awards recognize students from non-Western backgrounds who contribute to an inclusive society through their vision, courage, and social engagement.
While discussions about diversity are becoming increasingly polarized, this new generation shows that there is another way: by building on connection, responsibility, and the belief that unity in diversity is a strength rather than a dividing line.
This year’s winners illustrate how lived experiences can grow into collective movements and systemic change. They demonstrate what inclusive leadership means in an era that calls for new narratives—narratives that create space, connect perspectives, and shape the future.
The ECHO Award is made possible by the ECHO Foundation’s partners: Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the Dutch Railways (NS).
🏆 2025 ECHO AWARD WINNERS
ECHO A Winnerward in the HBO category: Chinyere Aronu
(Student Public Administration/Government Management at The Hague University of Applied Sciences)
The jury was impressed by the lasting impact Chinyere is making through her foundation. She combines ambition with practicality and works purposefully to bring about structural change. As someone with firsthand experience in the benefits scandal, Chinyere connects her personal story with those of others, transforming complex experiences into policy recommendations and concrete solutions. She serves as a role model for students and professionals who want to improve social structures based on their lived experiences. Her work makes it clear that just policy begins with recognizing perspectives that are often overlooked.
Winner of the WO ECHO Award: Shahir Stanakzai
(Medical student at Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Shahir impressed the jury with his entrepreneurial spirit and his innovative approach to healthcare. Through his initiative, he addresses three societal challenges at once: the gap between vocational education and higher education, staffing shortages, and the social exclusion of young people from Rotterdam-Zuid. Shahir’s approach is strategic, scalable, and future-proof. He demonstrates how collaboration between different levels of education and healthcare institutions can lead to new forms of inclusion and shared responsibility.
Winner of the ECHO Current Events Award: Alihan Z. Uzun
(Complex Systems Engineering & Management at Delft University of Technology)
Alihan connects personal experiences to broader questions about citizenship, representation, and equal opportunity. His work draws on everyday challenges but leads to structural solutions that extend into policymaking and social institutions. The jury appreciates how Alihan approaches complex themes with accessibility, nuance, and empathy. He unites communities rather than pitting them against one another, and creates space for conversations that are often lost amid social polarization. According to the jury, Alihan demonstrates what a contemporary, inclusive interpretation of citizenship looks like: conscious, unifying, and attentive to the diversity of experiences in society.
Click here to download the full jury report.
About the ECHO Award
The ECHO Award is a national award that recognizes higher education students for their commitment to an inclusive society. The award focuses on students from underrepresented groups and honors leadership that is grounded in vision, systemic change, and the ability to spark a movement.
This year, the ECHO Awards were presented in three categories:
- ECHO Award – Universities of Applied Sciences (HBO)
- ECHO Award – Research Universities (WO)
- ECHO Current Events Award
Press Contact:
Pravini Baboeram
ECHO, Center of Expertise on Diversity Policy
Email: pravini@echo-net.nl
Phone: 06-23079310
Website: www.echo-net.nl
Group photo by: Ebru Aydin
Portraits by: Davita Tupan