Gates scholar meets the Queen

  • April 28, 2011
Gates scholar meets the Queen

Rajna Golubic is chosen to meet the Queen at St John's celebrations.

Gates scholar Rajna Golubic was one of 10 students chosen to attend a lunch with the Queen as part of St John’s College’s quincentenary celebrations this week.

Rajna [2008] from Croatia was invited to attend a lunch in the College’s Senior Combination Room with The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Wednesday, two days before the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Around 50 people, including the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and Cambridge academics, also attended.

The lunch was followed by a garden party during which around 25 students, including Gates scholar Surabhi Ranganathan (2008), were presented to the Queen at the Upper Paddock of the College.

Rajna, who is studying for a PhD in Epidemiology, says: “I had a privilege to be presented by the Master as a student leader and a Gates Scholar and after that I presented a group of students to the Queen. Only three or four of us were recognised as student leaders and were in charge of introducing other selected students.”

The Queen asked about her research into physical activity and how it relates to obesity and type 2 diabetes. She says: “The Queen recognised it as a very important issue. The Master introduced me as a Gates scholar and she said: Oh, that’s great!”

Latest News

Scholar wins Adventure Travel Award for his book

A Gates Cambridge Scholar has won a prestigious prize for his book on his travels in Alaska at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. Ben Weissenbach’s book North to the […]

Monkey whisperer

Nurul Huda Aslari Effendy [2026] – or Huda – is a monkey whisperer. She grew up with monkeys snatching food from her garden and spent long hours watching them on […]

Scholar co-chairs migration history conference

Experts from around the world gathered in Cambridge last week for a conference on the history of the distinction between the categories of refugee and migrant. The Fung Global Fellows […]

The Gates Cambridge conversation: How can we improve people’s diet?

What works when it comes to reducing people’s intake of sugary drinks and junk food? Miriam Alvarado and Élisabeth Demers-Potvin both work on the evaluation of health prevention policies in […]