More than 150 university leaders, humanitarian aid workers, international students, and education advocates gathered in Pittsburgh for our fifth annual We Rise Together Awards. Each year, this event honors a growing global community changemakers who are expanding access to higher education, especially for displaced and underserved learners.
The evening was also a celebration of Duolingo’s Access Program, which provides targeted support to refugee scholars through a partnership with UNHCR and dozens of global institutions. Through this program, we’ve seen firsthand how the removal of even a single barrier—like the cost or location of a standardized test—can change the trajectory of a life.
Meet the 2025 Awardees
Each of the people we honored this year embody the mission that drives the Duolingo English Test: to make higher education more accessible, equitable, and inclusive—and to reimagine what’s possible in the global education system.
Access: Misco Mungai, HALI Access Network
Misco Mungai leads the HALI Access Network, a coalition of nearly 40 organizations across Africa dedicated to helping high-achieving, low-income students access global higher education. Under Misco’s leadership, HALI has become a powerful force for equity—launching the HALI Bridge Fund, building institutional partnerships, and mentoring a generation of access professionals. Her work ensures that African students from underserved communities are not just seen, but that they are supported as they pursue their goals.
Innovation: Tim Field, University of Sydney
Tim Field is the architect behind two groundbreaking scholarship programs: the Sydney International Equity Scholarship and the International Undergraduate Academic Excellence Scholarship. These initiatives have already transformed access to higher education for students from refugee and low-income backgrounds across Kenya, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Romania, and more. Tim’s vision and leadership have helped make the University of Sydney a model for equitable global admissions—proving that when institutions prioritize access, they can change not just lives, but the sector.
Social Justice: Dr. Sandra Jones, The Heller School at Brandeis University
Dr. Sandra Jones, of The Heller School at Brandeis University, is a steadfast advocate for international students—especially those arriving from conflict zones. As both an academic administrator and faculty member, Dr. Jones supports students facing housing insecurity, food scarcity, and academic challenges. Whether she’s guiding an applicant through asylum paperwork or staying in touch with alumni building businesses back home, Dr. Jones creates a culture of care that transforms educational access into long-term empowerment.
Student Advocacy: Julia Jago, Royal Holloway, University of London
Julia Jago brings heart and strategy to the often-invisible world of visa and compliance policy. Through her work at Royal Holloway and her leadership in national networks like the Universities of Sanctuary movement, Julia has become a fierce advocate for refugee students—especially those seeking access from outside the UK. Her commitment has helped make Royal Holloway one of the first universities in the country to host a Duolingo Scholar and actively support displaced students from abroad.
Student Advocacy: Dan Webb, Refugee Education UK
Dan Webb works across systems and sectors to make UK education more inclusive for refugee and asylum-seeking youth. At Refugee Education UK, he advocates for policies that remove barriers to education, while also providing individual guidance to students navigating complex admissions and finance systems. A proud Royal Holloway alum, Dan has become a key partner in our Access Program—and a model for how higher education institutions can be active champions for displaced learners.
Special Recognition Awards
In addition to these five outstanding individuals, two more higher education professionals recieved special recognition for their efforts to expand access to education.
Anshum Goswami
Anshum has been a foundational partner in launching and growing the Duolingo University Access Program in India. From providing legal guidance to offering personal mentorship, he’s helped build a pathway that supports refugee students not just academically, but holistically.
Ryan Sullivan
When one of our Scholars needed to change universities under extraordinary circumstances, Ryan made the impossible possible: facilitating a full transfer across countries, institutions, and systems. His belief in the power of education, and in the potential of one student, embodies everything We Rise Together stands for.
Equity in education takes more than good intentions
The Duolingo English Test was created to make English proficiency testing more accessible—but our mission goes beyond assessments. We believe in a world where every student with potential can access the education they deserve, no matter their background or passport.
The We Rise Together Awards celebrate not only that vision, but the people working every day to make it real. Our 2025 awardees show us that innovation, compassion, and commitment can reshape the future of education—from refugee camps to university campuses, and everywhere in between.
To everyone who joined us in Pittsburgh—and to everyone who’s building a more equitable education system: thank you.
We rise by lifting others. And this year, we’ve seen how high we can go.