This is a guest post from Royal Holloway Management Year in Business student, Kendaa Cameron- Chavannes who has just won the finals of the Target Jobs Management Undergraduate of the Year Award sponsored by Enterprise Mobility. At Royal Holloway we are so proud of Kendaa and what she has achieved. While former Royal Holloway placement students have reached the finals, none have as yet won overall. This is an incredible achievement for Kendaa and we are grateful for her for writing this blog article about her experience.
Kendaa has grasped every opportunity available to build her experience while at University, whether attending company insight weeks, Bright Network events, joining Mentoring schemes or applying for placements. Kendaa will be joining the Walt Disney company for a marketing placement this summer. We believe her win of the Management Undergraduate of the Year Award is thoroughly deserved!
After a competitive series of psychometric tests, interviews and assessment centres, being selected out of 5206 applicants, arriving at The Pelligon (Canary Wharf) for the final was a surreal moment filled with anxiety but excitement. It was great to meet all the other finalists from the 12 award categories (especially fellow Royal Holloway undergraduate Tala Clark), network with industry specialists and gain insight into the motivations of the other finalists.
I was promptly met with a champagne/prosecco reception where I was able to catch-up with my peers from my Enterprise assessment centre, gain an understanding of the application processes for other award partners (such as Rolls Royce, Sky Scanner, CBRE, Sky, BNY Mellon etc) and soak in the atmosphere. It was so rewarding being surrounded by 120 of the UK’s most inspiring undergraduates.
After the drink’s reception, it was time for lunch, where we had a set menu of starters, mains and desserts. I had the fantastic opportunity to be sat with many senior partners of Enterprise and gain independent insights into the facets of a global firm. The transition from limited industry experience (at the end of first year) to being a finalist (in my second year), sat with executives, senior managers and directors was a key reflection throughout the duration of the awards.
Shortly after dessert, the awards began, and my nerves were at an all time high. It was phenomenal seeing all the other finalists presented on the big screen and receiving recognition for their hard work. After the Female Undergraduate of the Year was awarded, it was time for the Management Undergraduate of the Year to be introduced by Sue Perkins. Caroline Howarth (Enterprise’s Corporate Business Manager and Finance Director) announced the shortlist and the winner. After being announced winner and seeing my name up on the screen, I was in complete shock. Realising that I had to move from my seat, I quickly made my way up to the stage to collect the award.
I am truly honoured to be selected as this year’s Management Undergraduate of the Year and represent the School of Business at Royal Holloway- who have shown the upmost support at every step of the way.
Post awards, Rolls Royce, Sky Scanner and Enterprise hosted a celebration at The Alchemist which was filled with laughter.
Even though the win has only just sunk in, I am so grateful to showcase my skills, network with experienced specialists and be surrounded by inspiring peers. I would highly recommend my peers to apply next year because you never know where challenging yourself outside of your comfort scope leads to.
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