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On the morning of her first day of graduate school, Michelle-Lynn Balderston opened an email with some unexpected news: a paper she had written during her final year at Western had been named the best in the world in its category.
Balderston, BA’26, was named Global Winner in the global communication category for the 2026 Global Undergraduate Awards – an international academic competition celebrating exceptional undergraduate research and creative work.
“I was completely shocked,” she said. Receiving the news that morning “definitely provided me with a good dose of motivation and confidence to tackle the new school year.”
Balderston is one of 12 Western students recognized in this year’s awards, which drew 2,373 submissions from 327 universities in 112 countries. For the second consecutive year, Western ranked first in the Americas and second globally for ‘highly commended’ entries. The university also ranked third worldwide and second in the Americas overall.
Balderston’s paper explored how two anti-Apartheid organizations in the Netherlands used posters and collective memories in their activism against South Africa’s apartheid system, bringing together her interests in activism and her Dutch heritage. Read more about Balderston’s research.
Among all the Western winners, research spanned eight of the competition’s 25 award categories, from health and life sciences to the humanities and social sciences.
Meet the regional winners
Claire DiLosa, BSc’26 | Life Sciences
DiLosa’s research explored whether a bacterial enzyme could be used as a tool to help scientists study an important lipid found in cell membranes. She also modified the enzyme to see whether she could improve its activity.
“When I realized I was a regional winner, I couldn’t believe it. It felt validating to have my hard work recognized globally,” she said. Read more about DiLosa’s research.
Sarah Torres Escandon, BMSc’26 | Medical Sciences
Torres Escandon’s fourth-year thesis explored how inflammation is regulated in the brain, research that could help scientists better understand inflammation associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“It felt like the hours I put into my thesis had come full circle, and like the perfect way to end my undergraduate degree at Western,” she said. Read more about Torres Escandon’s research.
Katrin Agakishiev | Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Healthcare
Agakishiev’s research examined why workplace violence against nurses remains prevalent in Canadian health care settings despite existing legal protections. She explores gaps between legal safeguards and their implementation, identifying underreporting, inconsistent enforcement, limited employer accountability, and institutional cultures that normalize violence as key barriers.
“This experience showed me you don’t have to be free of doubt to take a chance on yourself,” she said. Read more about Agakishiev’s research.
Eight students earn highly commended recognition
Eight Western students also earned ‘highly commended’ honours across a range of disciplines.
The recipients were Jamal al-Ghaziri (literature); Ananya Kalra (psychology); Isaac McKeown and Justin Donovan (medical sciences); Aranya Thavakumar (nursing, midwifery and allied health care); Anum Qaiser and Yi Qu (sociology and social policy); and Ebunoluwa Esomojumi (anthropology and cultural studies), who received the recognition for two separate submissions.
Learn more about how Western is preparing future leaders and global citizens.
