Oxford, United Kingdom — Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo has been awarded the Programme Director’s Prize, an honor presented to a student who has made an exceptional contribution to the classroom and cohort. Recipients are selected by a panel of judges that includes the Programme Director and the Academic Director.

The award recognizes not only academic excellence but also the quality of a student’s engagement, presence, and contribution to the life of the program. For Lamentillo, the recognition marks a deeply personal and meaningful milestone.

During the final ceremony held at the Holywell Music Room for the MSc in Major Programme Management cohort at Saïd Business School, Lamentillo delivered a speech on behalf of the class, reflecting on the significance of the moment and the journey it took to reach it.

“This moment means so much to all of us, because we know it did not come easily,” Lamentillo said. “We know what it took to get here and what it took to remain here.”

Speaking at Oxford University carried particular meaning for Lamentillo, who reflected on her own personal journey in the address.

“English is not my first language. I am from the Karay-a ethnolinguistic tribe. I grew up with a speech defect. And the first book I ever had in English was an Oxford dictionary,” she said. “So to be here now, at Oxford, speaking at this ceremony today, is something I could never have imagined when I first struggled through English words. It is a full-circle moment that humbles me deeply.”

In her speech, Lamentillo framed the graduating class not only through the lens of achievement but also through perseverance and courage.

“When I look at us, I do not just see achievement. I see bravery. Real bravery,” she said.

She paid tribute to classmates who pursued their studies while carrying significant personal, professional, and global burdens, noting that for many in the cohort, issues such as crisis and conflict were not abstract subjects of study but lived realities.

“Because for most of the people in this class, crisis is not a case study,” Lamentillo said. “It is not an abstract concept. It is not a classroom exercise. It is not a framework on a reading list. It is something lived.”

Lamentillo also highlighted the resilience of students who continued their studies while navigating war, grief, work, caregiving, and uncertainty.

“Bravery is going home to a real life that is heavy and then still returning to class,” she said. “Bravery is holding together two worlds at once: the world here and the world waiting for us beyond Oxford.”

She also emphasized that the achievement belonged not only to the graduates themselves but also to the people who supported them throughout the journey.

“This win is not just ours,” Lamentillo said. “It belongs, too, to the people you are here with. To the families who waited. To the loved ones who encouraged. To the children who shared time. To the parents who sacrificed. To the friends who listened. To the communities that carried us when we were tired.”

The speech concluded with a message of gratitude, belonging, and hope, underscoring the courage of the graduating class and the deeper meaning of the occasion.

“We are proof that belonging is not reserved for those with easy journeys. We are proof that language barriers do not define the limits of a voice. We are proof that struggle does not cancel brilliance. We are proof that courage is not the absence of fear but the decision to continue in spite of it.”

For Lamentillo, receiving the Programme Director’s Prize represents both formal recognition of her contribution to the programme and a powerful full-circle moment—from learning English using an Oxford dictionary to being honoured at Oxford