Principal’s Medal: Leonardo Dhinsa
Presented by Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE
Summer Graduation 2026
I would now like to introduce the Principal’s Medal. This award was inaugurated seventeen years ago with a gift from three anonymous donors and is now supported by Ede and Ravenscroft, believed to be the oldest firm of tailors and robe-makers in the world. The award of the Principal’s Medal recognises students who display exceptional endeavour and achievement during their time at St Andrews. The medal may be awarded to final-year undergraduates and postgraduates in any discipline, and the achievements celebrated are both academic and extra-curricular.
Today, the Principal’s Medal is being awarded to a truly outstanding student: Leonardo Dhinsa, who has just graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.
Leonardo’s academic record at St Andrews has been nothing short of exceptional. Throughout his studies, he has demonstrated a level of intellectual ability and sustained performance that is genuinely rare, even within this most distinguished student body. His consistent First Class Honours record has placed him among the very highest achievers of his cohort, and secured his place on the Dean’s List in every year of his degree.
His excellence has been recognised at every stage of his studies. In his first year, Leonardo was awarded the William Blair Memorial Prize as the most distinguished student in economics, and in second year, he received the Nisbet Prize for the highest average grades in his cohort. Most recently, he has been awarded a Principal’s Scholarship for Academic Excellence for 2025 to 2026. Such a succession of honours speaks not only to talent, but to discipline, consistency, and a deeply serious engagement with his field.
Yet Leonardo’s intellectual achievements extend beyond grades alone. His tutors speak highly of his ability to combine analytical precision with exceptional technical fluency – moving with ease between economic theory, advanced quantitative methods, and modern computational tools. As a research assistant and co-author, he has contributed to demanding, machine-learning-based projects, producing work of a standard rarely seen at undergraduate level. His independence, clarity of thought, and responsiveness to feedback mark him already as a scholar of considerable distinction.
His achievements have also been recognised beyond the University. Following his second year, Leonardo received a national Academic Achievement Award from upReach, a leading social-mobility organisation, in recognition of his outstanding performance. This honour, celebrated at Mansion House in London, also brought wider attention to his accomplishments, including a live interview with the BBC.
It is, however, essential to understand the context in which this remarkable record has been achieved. Leonardo’s path to success has not been straightforward. Through determination, self-reflection, and effective use of the support available to him, he has transformed his academic trajectory. He has not only improved his performance but also sustained this excellence over time – a testament to his resilience, judgement, and exceptional capacity for growth.
Alongside his academic work, Leonardo has demonstrated remarkable enterprise. At just eighteen, he founded a software company, developing bespoke systems for a diverse range of clients. Over time, this venture has grown to serve organisations including businesses, schools, and the NHS. He has managed every aspect of the enterprise himself, from client acquisition to technical delivery, using this to support his studies financially. He has further extended this work commendably, mentoring younger students by offering them practical experience and guidance as they begin their own professional journeys.
Leonardo’s sense of responsibility is perhaps most powerfully reflected in his role as a caregiver. During his time at university, this has involved considerable practical and emotional commitment, including frequent long-distance travel and the management of complex responsibilities. He speaks of this not as a burden, but as his greatest achievement – an expression of loyalty and compassion that commands the highest respect.
In addition to all this, Leonardo has undertaken demanding professional internships, including work with the UK Government Economic Service as part of the Strategic Modelling Team. Here he independently developed a database front-end tool that improved internal processes, earning him a formal Reward and Recognition voucher from senior leadership.
Through all these endeavours, Leonardo has demonstrated a rare combination of intellectual excellence, resilience, leadership, and generosity of spirit. He is thoughtful, grounded, and deeply committed to making a positive difference in the lives of others. He is, in every sense, the embodiment of the “exceptional endeavour and achievement” that the Principal’s Medal seeks to recognise. Leonardo, in recognition of your many accomplishments during your time at St Andrews, it gives me great pleasure to bestow upon you the Principal’s Medal.