Stacey Baxter from the Isle of Sheppey Academy was today named as the winner of the inaugural Amnesty International/AQA Award.

Stacey, who lives in Granville Road in Sheerness, sat AQA’s A level Citizenship exam this summer and was one of around 400 pupils nationwide who answered an essay question on Amnesty International.

The 18-year-old, who is now studying Sociology at the London School of Economics and commutes in everyday, was delighted to hear that her entry had won.

She said: “I’m completely and utterly ecstatic to have won this award, the work of Amnesty touches my heart and I've always felt passionate about human rights, so to receive this award is an honour that means the world to me.”

Stacey will pick up her prize at the AQA’s prestigious Student of the Year Awards on 16 December at the Telford Theatre, One George Street, Westminster.

Victoria Standing, a citizenship teacher at the Isle of Sheppey Academy, added: “As a Sixth Form, we are incredibly proud of Stacey and all that she has achieved. She is a very talented young woman; what makes her remarkable is her determination to use that talent not simply for personal gain, but for the benefit of others. 

“We have no doubt that a very happy and successful career awaits her and wish her the very best of luck as she continues her studies.”

Dan Jones, who works on human rights education for Amnesty International, was one of the judges and will be presenting Stacey with the award. He said: “The quality of all of the entries that we were asked to read  was very high, but we chose Stacey because the student's combined a great deal of understanding and empathy with a lot of  carefully presented and accurate evidence and information. It was a worthy winner.”

• Find out more about our Human Rights Education programme