Coco Kanters wins the Honours Teacher of the Year Award 2023

Dr. Coco Kanters was named Honours Teacher of the Year 2023 during this year’s highly anticipated Honours Community Day. Students from the Humanities Honours Program nominated Coco due to her exceptional guidance and unwavering support.

"Coco actively creates a safe and supportive environment that encourages students to take on new challenges with the understanding that failure and learning from ones mistakes are essential to growth."

The panel, consisting of the Honours Dean, Prof. Dr. Stephanie Rosenkranz, faculty honours directors and honours students, wholeheartedly acknowledged Coco's remarkable ability to strike a balance between giving students the freedom to explore their boundaries and providing valuable guidance when needed. Moreover, Coco's personal involvement in her students' learning was greatly appreciated.

With gratitude for receiving the award, Coco shared, "The contagious enthusiasm displayed by honours students is truly inspiring, and I always find myself fully energized and motivated after our Tuesday evening sessions. To me, this award signifies that the feeling is mutual, and I am absolutely thrilled that the students have nominated me for such a prestigious award.”

Coco with her students

Platform to experiment

According to Coco, Honours education is a platform where students can experiment and are free to follow their academic intuition and take unconventional approaches in presenting their research findings. Coco takes pride in cultivating a strong sense of community among her students and goes the extra mile to offer personalized support, always being available to lend a listening ear and offer guidance.

For Coco, an integral element the Faculty of Humanities Honours programme is the study association Eureka. Eureka plays an vital role in fostering a sense of community by connecting honours students from various humanities departments, enabling them to collaborate, engage in discussions, and learn from each other.

Honours Community Day

The award was presented during the second edition of Honours Community Day, an annual gathering where honours students, faculty and staff come together to share knowledge, attend engaging sessions and perform their work.