MUMBAI: Actress Preity Zinta has been nominated by the University of East London (UEL) with an honorary doctorate of the Arts for her contribution to cinema and humanitarian work at a special ceremony hosted by UEL on Friday, 29 October, 2010.

Zinta will be among three key personalities to be conferred with Honorary Degrees by the University of East London. Lord Dholakia OBE and Professor Lord Parekh are the other two honorees.

Zinta said, “I am extremely humbled and excited at the nomination as it really makes me feel that my work has been worthy. I may not have managed to become a doctor in my younger years but that dream is now being fulfilled.”

UEL vice-chancellor professor Patrick McGhee said, “I am delighted that we are able to honor Preity Zinta. We notice her involvement in the Delhi Blood donor camps and her tireless work in, and the promotion of, raising awareness of the challenges over Aids, human trafficking and the plight of street children. In addition to all this her involvement as Ambassador for the Godfrey Phillips Bravery Awards and the Loomba Trust proves that she is not afraid to stand up for justice and those in need. We have also noted her writing over the past 10 years on important topics for the BBC.”