The Westminster Award has a wonderful history stretching back nearly 20 years. Our finalists and winners come from many different youth groups and all sorts of backgrounds.

What they all have in common is that they have shared the same journey, made lifelong friends and made incredible contributions to their local communities. Added to this, many have returned to Cadet Vocational College to speak at events or mentor the newest groups of Westminster Award candidates.

This page tells you a little about our winners, why they were nominated in the first place and what they are up to now.

Ruta Dubinskaite, of Middlesex and NW London Sector Army Cadet Force, won our 2019 competition. She engaged in a huge amount of volunteering commitments for the two youth organisations she is a member of: The Army Cadet Force at St John Ambulance.

Where is Ruta now?

Soon after the Westminster Award, Ruta spoke at our Adult Graduation Ceremony and the VQO conference. She also helped out with the St. John Ambulance Cadet Vocational College pilot and the Westminster Award mentoring for 2020 and 2021.

She passed her A Levels and got accepted into medical school where she is now studying to be a doctor, as well as working as a school ambassador and has just been accepted to be a peer mentor.

Currently, she is utilising the skills she learned from the Cadet Vocational College qualifications in her roles as an Emergency Ambulance Crew and Vaccination Volunteer Lead among other things in St. John Ambulance. She is also working on achieving her FutureQuals qualification in Training and Assessing. She recently was also able to briefly speak at the recent Youth leaders SJA and Cadet Vocational College virtual conference for Youth Leaders.

Alex Anderson, of 1367 (Caerleon) Squadron, won our 2018 competition. Alex is an enormously caring and empathetic young man who epitomised the values of the Cadet Vocational College Westminster Award. His volunteering commitments are almost too many to mention. He suffers with Asperger’s Syndrome but has not let that get in the way of his dreams or ambitions.

Where is Alex now?

Since the Cadet Vocational College Westminster Award Alex has completed his Phase 2 training to become a Logistic Supplier in the RAF. He has also received the British Citizens Award for services to volunteering and is currently going through his trade ability training for a promotion to Senior Aircraftman SAC .

His ambition is to play a part in the development of inclusion and diversity within the RAF and support young people with conditions through their application process to join the Armed Forces. He is a big believer in never letting a label define you.

Isabella Scanio, of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Army Cadet Force, won our 2017 Cadet Vocational College Westminster Award competition. She represented a fantastic role model for her fellow cadets, believing in equality and helping raise the profile of her fellow female cadets in particular.

Where is Bella now?

Since winning the Westminster Award in 2017, Bella graduated from the University of Nottingham in Ancient History and is currently studying management at the University of Bath. She took the skills she learnt from her Cadet Vocational College BTEC, ILM and South Africa expedition, applying all experiences to become the Management Undergraduate of the Year Award which she won in 2019.

In her third year at university she started a mental health campaign called “it’s my mental health” with the aim to support those struggling with mental health conditions and teach the wider community about mental health awareness.

Cameron McEleney, of, won our 2016 Cadet Vocational College Westminster Award competition. He demonstrated a phenomenal commitment to mentoring and volunteering, which helped secure him the 2016 winner’s crown.

Where is Cameron now?

After his Westminster Award journey, Cameron graduated in Theoretical Physics (BSc) from the University of Glasgow in 2020. He originally planned to join the Royal Air Force; having been awarded an RPAS bursary in 2018 and also completing his Private Pilot’s License that same year.

Currently, he is completing the process of becoming a STEM Ambassador. After this is finished, he hopes to design lab experiments and small lessons for school pupils to show them that STEM can be accessible at any level.

Jo Baker, of 2nd Northern Ireland Battalion Army Cadet Force, won our 2015 Westminster Award competition. She wowed us with her clear empathy and dedication to her local community in Northern Ireland.

Where is Jo now?

Jo finished school and went on to study Speech and Language Sciences at Newcastle University. She graduated in 2020 as a newly qualified Speech and Language Therapist. Currently she is completing a Masters and PhD at Newcastle, researching an area of paediatric Speech and Language Therapy with the aim of providing evidence for future clinical practice.

Additionally, she works part time on an honorary NHS contract as a Speech and Language Therapist. Outside of studying/work, she enjoys athletics and loves to paddle board.