We meet the Female Undergraduate of the Year Award winner 2015!

Name: Aleksandra Pedraszewska

University: University of Cambridge

Course: Land Economy

Aleksandra won the 2015 Female Undergraduate of the Year Award 2015 with Rolls-Royce. She is studying the same course from the same university as last year's winner Courtney Gill! Fresh from winning her award, we caught up with Aleksandra to find out how she found the process and why she applied!

If my estimates are right, 12 months ago I was sitting in the library, trying to figure out the probability of failing my economics exam. More and less at the same time, the news about my one-year-older colleague, Courtney Gill, winning the Female Undergraduate of the Year Award, was updated on the department’s website. Just out of curiosity, to make my procrastination a little bit more useful, I signed up for the TARGETjobs mailing list to get a reminder when the application process opens. If anyone told me then that I will see myself in the picture in a year, I would probably start laughing. But here I am! Paradoxically, I have never met Courtney in person even though we study in the same department. But I would like to say a massive thank you for inspiring me to give it a go. And I want to encourage anyone with any doubts to do the same – just because you never know.

In the beginning of the second term I got a terrible cold, and did not cure it properly because of the amount of work and extracurricular activities I had taken up. I ended up in my bed with pneumonia, unable to do anything just because I wanted to do everything. It is probably another important lesson I learnt this year. However, having taken a step back, I slowly came back to life… and my mail box. When I got a final reminder about the Award’s applications, something told me that this is a thing worth putting some effort into. The online application went quite smoothly, as well as few tests that followed. I almost forgot about it, when after a couple of weeks I got a message that… I am going to Derby! I have to admit that I had no idea what to expect from the two-days assessment at Rolls-Royce. But meeting with senior representatives, fellow students from all around the UK, and having an unusual opportunity to visit the test beds seemed extremely exciting.

Even though I am not studying an engineering-related course, I am very much interested in new technologies and innovation. However, I would never expect myself finding engines so interesting! I learnt a lot over the weekend at Derby, but I also met wonderful people. I had an impression that after two days, for all 15 of us, who took part in the assessments, it seemed like we had known each other for ages. Such a friendly atmosphere was extremely helpful during the assessments we had to go through.

Of course, I did my best during each test, exercise or interview I had. However for some reason I assumed that small mistakes I thought I had made simply ruled me out from the group of possible winners. I was already over the moon when I received an invitation for the final ceremony in Canary Wharf, and I genuinely did not expect anything else. I was happy to see again the lucky 10 that I had met in Derby, as well as Rolls-Royce people and representatives of other 11 companies, sponsoring the awards. By the end of the dinner all finalists started to feel a little bit nervous and soon the first winners were announced. After the ceremony I got a couple of funny comments about my face expression when Eric Shulz read out my name from the stage. It probably pictures very well the state of shock that I was in. Today, after a couple of days from the final I still cannot believe it all, but most importantly I am extremely happy and honoured. It means a lot to me that there are so many kind responses to the news from everyone in Cambridge and my friends back in Poland. And of course I am very much looking forward to my summer internship at Rolls-Royce! I will try to post regularly about my preparations, travel, and, of course, my time at the company.

Congratulations again Aleksandra and to all the 2015 finalists!

Fancy giving it a go like Aleksandra? Preregister your interest for 2016 here: http://undergraduateoftheyear.com/register

We catch up with Courtney Gill on her amazing summer with Rolls-Royce!

When we last heard from Courtney, she'd just finished her first two weeks with Rolls-Royce (read more about that here). Since then she's travelled the world with the company, we caught up with her to find out more...

The summer with Rolls-Royce has truly been unbelievable. I just returned home from my business trip in Jakarta, Indonesia where I was able to see an entirely new culture. I attended a dinner with the British Ambassador at the new embassy celebrating a British-Indonesian aviation partnership, experienced Jakarta traffic at its peak, met some incredibly lovely Indonesians and enjoyed the various locals of the country.  I have one week left with Rolls-Royce when I return to London and am very much looking forward to getting back to the office.

Rolls-Royce CSR day at special needs school – what a wonderful place! 

Explaining all of the wonderful opportunities I have received this summer would take far too long, but what I can say is how impressed I am with the quality of the internship provided by Rolls-Royce. They went over and above to welcome me to the team and to offer learning opportunities at every turn. Whether it was hosting a group from Parliament at the Farnborough Air Show or spending the day with the Indonesian Ambassador to London, it is safe to say that I never had a boring week at work. Some of the summer highlights also included meeting the Rolls-Royce CEO, getting a private tour of Parliament, going to a business meeting in Brussels, giving a presentation in Warwick, going on team runs through St. James Park and meeting various individuals from the FCO.

Day in Derby with Indonesian Ambassador to London, Transport Attaché and Minister Counsellor 

This experience has opened up my mind to the vast world of opportunities that await when I finish Cambridge and I am incredibly excited to embark on my post-graduation journey. Rolls-Royce has begun my life adventure that encapsulates perfectly one of my favourite quotes from Mark Twain: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

So thank you to Rolls-Royce and to the Undergraduate of the Year Programme for everything!

At the British Embassy in Jakarta with acting Ambassador Rebecca Razavi

Fancy following in Courtney's footsteps? The Undergraduate of the Year Awards are open now! 

Ella Jakubowska won the Female Undergraduate of the Year Award in 2013! Read her final blog one year on...

After a whirlwind study abroad year at McGill University, followed by my incredible three month Rolls-Royce internship in Derby and Beijing, September 2013 finally rolled around, ushering me into my fourth and final year of undergraduate study at Leeds University. It was the most academically intense year of my life, and I developed a genuine passion for the dissertation I was writing. It focussed on representations of non-conventional masculinity in twentieth-century war literature, a somewhat niche but (genuinely!) fascinating area of study.

The academic year flew by; in October, I was surprised but very pleased to be awarded an Athena Swan ‘Woman of Achievement’ commendation from Leeds uni, which entailed a lovely ceremony and photo-shoot, so that was very exciting! Then at Christmas, I continued with my yearly family tradition of helping to run a Christmas homeless shelter as a key volunteer for Crisis, a charity that is still really close to my heart.

With the new year came new challenges at university, and so my next few months were mostly spent in a blur of visits to the library. After immersing myself in the challenging world of contemporary and millennial fiction for my Finals, I decided that I’d like to make the most of my last university summer by jumping onto a plane to Malaysia to visit my brother. I then spent six weeks backpacking through Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a similar outlook to the one I’d had in Beijing: one that meant doing, trying and eating everything, even if it was out of my comfort zone. Thanks to some local guides, I got to experience local cultures and livelihoods in a really privileged, intimate way, although of course my trip also featured the obligatory backpacker hostels and parties!

On the final day of my travels, I received the news that I would, as hoped, be graduating from Leeds with First Class Honours after attaining a strong First for my dissertation, and an even stronger First for another extended essay. It was really rewarding to know that my hard work was paying off, awarding me among the strongest marks of my entire university career. Graduation was a surprisingly relaxing and enjoyable day; the ceremony itself was lovely, and it felt like such an achievement to have made my family so proud. It was not until I was saying goodbye to friends and getting ready to head back to London, however, that it really hit me that my time as an undergraduate, with all the amazing experiences it has given me, has really finished.

As for the future, I’m very glad I have the Customer Management graduate programme at Rolls-Royce to look forward to. My first placement, starting this September, will be in the Defence sector in Bristol, and my current house-hunting gives me something to keep me occupied! After how well my internship went, I think that I have quite a lot to live up to as I return to Rolls, but I couldn’t be more excited for the challenges to come, and for the opportunities to improve as a (business) person. Wish me luck!

Ella Jakubowska, English Language and Literature, University of Leeds

2013 Winner of the Female Undergraduate of the Year Award 2013 sponsored by Rolls-Royce

The winner of the 2014 Female Undergraduate of the Year Award talks us through her first two weeks at Rolls Royce!

Exams are done and England’s summer favourites and sunny weather have left everyone buzzing with excitement. From Cambridge May Balls and garden parties to Royal Ascot and Wimbledon to the World Cup and the Royal Henley Regatta, London is certainly an exciting place to be in summer. It is particularly lively in the Rolls-Royce International office, just outside of Buckingham Palace; with not only great World Cup chat from various nationalities, but also some incredibly interesting projects.

My time with Rolls-Royce so far (all of 2 weeks) has been everything I hoped it would be and more. It is an incredibly friendly bunch of people who are all very bright and committed to strong development. They have all gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and to assign me with stimulating tasks. My first week was filled with a plethora of training and introductory calls from Regional Directors located in Indonesia, Thailand, France, Singapore and Vietnam. I sit in the International and Government Relations team and will be finishing my placement out in Jakarta, Indonesia in August (something for which I am also incredibly excited!).

My morning starts with a short tube ride and a lovely stroll through Green Park. I am lucky to get to pass by the barracks - outside of the palace - where the guards hold a drill parade every morning.  I come in to the office and often have relatively early morning calls as they are usually with the team out in Asia. I work with various people throughout the day on my three main objective projects. I will also be commencing work with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the Government Relations aspect of the role. The team is upbeat and dynamic - shown by our lunchtime run today with the trainer! In the evenings I am able to get in runs around Primrose Hill and play a few quick games of tennis with friends also working in London. Next week I am participating in the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge Run in Battersea Park which is a great team building event and fantastic place to meet other City employees.

I am very optimistic that my internship will continue as it has begun.  Now off to Henley for a weekend of fantastically coloured blazers, phenomenal rowing and fun!

Courtney Gill, University of Cambridge, Land Economy

Think this could be you for 2015? Apply now to the awards here: undergraduateoftheyear.com