Westminster Business School Blog Celebrating Student Success At The 2016 Achievement Awards

Celebrating Student Success At The 2016 Achievement Awards

February 5, 2016
#WestminsterSuccess Student Life
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Many, many congratulations to all of our students who joined us on Wednesday night and received an undergraduate Achievement Award. It is a huge feat and accomplishment and something to feel extremely proud of.

To provide context for those who may not be so familiar with the event, every year, Westminster Business School celebrates the success of its undergraduate students with an Achievement Awards ceremony. With a scholarship of £1000 available for each recipient, only the highest achievers who obtain the strongest marks are eligible. This year we were delighted to be able to present 78 awards to our students, which were kindly provided by the University of Westminster Scholarships team.

The ceremony itself was led by Dr Andrew Summers (Chair of the Westminster Business School Advisory Board), Helen Batley (Director of Undergraduate Studies) and Dr David Hitchcock (Dean of Westminster Business School), all of whom were thrilled to be able to hand out so many awards.

Following the ceremony students, guests & staff were invited to an evening celebratory reception:

A great opportunity to catch up with everyone, we were able to interview a few of the evenings winners, who shared their thoughts about winning such a prestigious award:

“My name is Aton Lubanda Buense and I’m an International and Business student originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tonight I won an Achievement Award for Westminster Business School, which is an award given to students in the top proportion of the Business School, something I feel very proud of. Ever since coming to Westminster I’ve loved and enjoyed my degree. Originally I studied Literature and Latin Philosophy so it was quite a big jump. Tonight, winning this award makes me feel very proud, not only because it’s very difficult to win, but being I think the only Congolese is something that I feel a great sense of achievement about. To anyone who is hoping to win an award next year, my top tip is simply to enjoy yourself – try to find something small – it doesn’t matter if its university, your private life, or your work life – there’s always something you can enjoy. Personally I enjoy Japanese culture, learning the language & going to Japanese events, and I think part of this does help you in your studies because from time to time you do need a break. I believe that finding something in your heart that you love will really help you. Working with your heart and your passion will always give you something else – it doesn’t matter how long it takes, but one day you will surely get there.” Aton Lubanda Buense, Business Management-International Business BA Hons student, Democratic Republic of Congo.

“To anyone who would like to win an Achievement Award, I would suggest to have a plan, have a structure, to have everything organised, and to take things step by step. This is the second year that I have won this award, so I told myself last year that I wanted to be chosen for a second time. How did I do it? I kept up with the lectures, which was hard because I was working at the same time. Talk to people, to other students & get involved with teamwork – you might miss something but other people have ideas so you can always collaborate. It’s important to be confident in yourself, go to fairs, get a job, do activities outside the University – there’s no one recipe for success. I was part of the Universities Business Challenge – it’s good not to limit yourself to your studies, you should go outside and explore. You can also look at the ways the University can support you – you have the Mentoring scheme, the Talent Bank, you have one-to-one sessions for applications, CVs, cover letters & there are volunteer activities. Finally – take time to enjoy yourself and make friends – it’s about knowing the right people, connecting with them, networking, going out, exploring London and having fun! Diana Florescu, Marketing Communications BA Hons student, Romania.

“I feel very proud because I didn’t expect that I will be here. My Course Leader Dr Nadia Amin told me I had a chance but I didn’t believe it, and I am mostly shocked that I am the only one because I was expecting others as well. Last year my favourite module was the Financial Information – I liked it because I am interested in finance and accounting. Last year my highest grade was 97% and overall for the Strategic Financial Management module I got 91% and I’m very proud of these marks.” Natasha Shosh is an International Business (Mandarin, Chinese) BSc student who is also working for the Students’ Union and RRW.

It was great to also get a few words from the Dean of Westminster Business School, Dr David Hitchcock, who has this message for Award Winners: “Congratulations, you should be proud of your academic achievements – we are! For some of you, this will be your final semester & hopefully in the Summer I will be congratulating you at your graduation. For others you are only half way through, but what an excellent start – keep up the good work!”

To all who helped to make the event a success, thank you, and once again, many, many congratulations to our winners – we are very proud of you & all of your successes. Here’s looking forward to next year’s event!

To view the Achievement Awards photo album, please visit our Facebook page!