91ֱ��

We are excited and proud to announce seven new members of the Dean’s List this year in the undergraduate class of 2022! This award recognises the exceptional academic achievements, employability and social responsibility of our 91ֱ�� University Management School (SUMS) graduates in taught degrees.

Photo l-r: Laura Bradley, Elitsa Georgieva, Martyna Filapek, the Dean of 91ֱ�� University Management School Professor Rachael Finn, Daniel Richardson, Anurag Piratla, Anna-Valentina Hirsch, and James Taylor.

Read about the outstanding contributions and achievements of this year's undergraduate winners of a place of the Dean's List.

Laura Bradley

Business Management with Employment Experience (BA)

Laura actively sought to grow and develop her skills, often pushing herself out of her comfort zone.

She succeeded in securing a placement year as a Corporate Responsibility Manager at Aldi. Here she managed the UK wide CSR communication strategy and reporting, as well as co-managing Aldi’s Fairly Traded policy.

Other work experience included cashier and customer advisor roles, Advisor at a local telemarketing company, Futures First Ambassador where she guided other students to gain a placement, and Student Ambassador for the Management School.

At university Laura took the role of Events Secretary on the Management Society committee, and after a successful year, took the lead as President of the society in her final year. She organised the society’s first ever careers event with 50 students in attendance.

Laura also made significant contributions to student life and the community around her whilst at 91ֱ��. She took part in the student mentor scheme as both a Mentee and a Mentor, delivered race and gender equality talks, and led an event for Autism Awareness Day as a Diversity Champion.

 

Martyna Filapek

Business Management with Employment Experience (BA)

Throughout her studies, Martyna gained work experience in supply chain management.

She completed a work experience placement at an electrical manufacturer in Poland and then completed her placement year as a divisional supply chain intern at Eaton Corporation. She also took the initiative to complete additional learning in web development, successfully completing the 8-weeks long ‘Code First Girls’ course.

Martyna was an active member of her student community during her time at 91ֱ��. She led the University team to the semi-finals in the IBM Universities Business Challenge, and also developed transferable skills as part of the Event Management Committee.

She has been a fantastic role model for her peers: as an Academic Representative she was a student voice for her programme. As a Futures First Ambassador she supported students with attaining a placement, and as a Student Ambassador she represented the Management School to prospective students.

It is clear from Martyna’s actions that she has a strong sense of social responsibility. As a Mentor for the Animals Now project, Challenge 22, she guided three groups of people in adopting a vegan diet. She also committed her time to a farm animal rescue sanctuary more than twice a week, and pro-actively supported local animal rights organisations to educate the public about cruelty to animals.

 

Elitsa Georgieva

International Business Management with Study Abroad and Employment Experience (BA)

Elitsa actively sought work experience throughout her time at 91ֱ��. After securing a placement year as a Junior Global Brand Manager at Pfizer, Elitsa took their 10-month research and development programme to better understand American healthcare. Outside of her daily work completed an online course in researching global issues and a marketing masterclass.

In addition to her placement year, Elitsa studied a year abroad at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where she supported incoming exchange students - and because of her positive impact she earned a place on a special wall-display called “The Humans of Hall 5”.

In 91ֱ��, Elitsa supported her peers with their placement year applications as a Futures First Ambassador. As a Student Ambassador, she told prospective students about her “incredible journey” and encouraged others to enrol.

She took Spanish language classes to enhance her interpersonal skills, joined the eMentoring Scheme to gain professional insight from alumni, became a member of the Music Players and Pole Fitness Societies and recorded a song with the RAG Society to lead a ‘We Are The World’ campaign raising awareness of the negative impacts of war.

Elitsa has made the most of every opportunity and has been an active part of 91ֱ�� student life.

 

Anna-Valentina Hirsch

International Business Management with Study Abroad and Employment Experience (BA)

Anna-Valentina has welcomed the opportunity to widen her perspectives during her degree. She overcame the challenges of moving to a new country when she studied abroad at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, arranging get-togethers to help new students settle in and volunteering with a local dog shelter.

As well as studying abroad, she obtained a placement year at BMW in Munich, where she continued to expand her international experience and learned agile working methods. After joining her department's digitisation project, she took the initiative to deliver workshops to colleagues, training 300 of her co-workers in the use of Microsoft Office365.

Anna-Valentina is passionate about supporting her community. At Beards and Books, she helped to improve education access for BAME children whilst gaining professional skills in business development and graphic design. She volunteered as a Wellbeing Ambassador for South Yorkshire Chaplaincy and Listening Service, where she received training in listening skills to support vulnerable people.

Within the University, Anna-Valentina volunteered as a steward for RAG Society’s fundraising hike, represented the School at our recent AACSB re-accreditation assessment, and served as Competition Secretary for the Pole Fitness Society.

Anna-Valentina plans to stay with the University next year to undertake her Master’s degree, and she has already been elected as President of the Pole Fitness Society.

Anurag Piratla

Business Management (BA)

Anurag has demonstrated excellent drive and determination to succeed during his time at 91ֱ��. During the pandemic he took a financial modelling course and attended the AT&T Summer Academy - an 80-hour training programme in marketing, technology, communications and leadership.

He was successfully chosen to participate in the McKinsey Solve It UK Consulting competition, selected to attend Morgan Stanley’s Finance Accelerator, and also competed as part of the 91ֱ�� team in the 2019 IBM Universities Business Challenge. As a member of the Investment Society, he joined the Twikker Fund and earned the Bloomberg Market Concepts Certification.

Throughout the pandemic, Anurag remained determined to seek out opportunities. He joined the University’s eMentoring programme to gain advice from our alumni, and completed an internship at an electric motor start-up.

As an Academic Representative for his programme, Anurag supported his fellow students, and in his voluntary role as Student Mentor, he mentored six first-year students as they acclimatised to student life. Anurag has also been an active member of Enactus, contributing to the ‘Regain’ project and the ‘WebCrafters’ project.

During his work experience as a Finance Summer Analyst at RBC investment bank, Anurag led a team of interns in a hackathon challenge, contributing to RBC's fundraising total of £200,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. He performed in the top ten percent of the intern class and received a full time employment offer from the company.

Daniel Richardson

Business Management with Employment Experience (BA)

Daniel’s long standing commitment to supporting his local community has carried through to his activities at 91ֱ��.

Having been a Football Referee in his hometown since age 14, Daniel launched into student life by practising his networking skills, building new relationships with local 91ֱ�� clubs and managers, so that he could continue to referee throughout his studies. He also joined the University Men’s Football Club, where he competed in Varsity competitions and was elected as Kit Secretary on the Committee.

Daniel used his hobby to raise vital funds for good causes. He ran a charity football tournament to help a fellow student fundraise for Movember, and he regularly volunteered at his family’s local Rotary Group to raise money for homelessness charities in Milton Keynes. He also took part in the Baby Bummit Charity Hitchhike from Edinburgh to 91ֱ�� to fundraise for local 91ֱ�� charities.

After joining the Management Society, he took the role of Social Secretary and then progressed to the role of Sports Secretary, recruiting players and organising the members into sports teams.

Daniel took his employability no less seriously. He worked a summer job abroad at Camp America, completed a Spanish language course, and was a Student Ambassador for the Management School.

Daniel successfully secured a placement year at Volkswagen Financial Services, where he learned to balance competing demands. At Volkswagen he proactively took responsibility for a sales analysis project looking at the 18 to 24 demographic. Because of his success, his sales recommendations were implemented and he was given an opportunity to present his project directly to the CEO.

James Taylor

Business Management with Employment Experience (BA)

James has built up an impressive portfolio of employability experience whilst also making positive contributions to society. He succeeded in obtaining a placement year at SAP, where he helped to judge round one of the UK wide Enactus competitions, and joined the SAP Fitness Challenge to fundraise for The Prince’s Trust charity.

His vast array of work experience included a stint at a print and digital services organisation, part-time jobs as On-Campus Ambassador for Deloitte and Skiddle, Hospitality Assistant at Tapton Hall, and Customer Service Consultant at 91ֱ�� City Trust. James is also a dedicated Student Ambassador for the School.

James was determined to push himself out of his comfort zone. He was elected Social Secretary for the Management Society and Inclusions Officer for the Advertising and Marketing Society. He raised money for the NHS by doing a daily 5k running challenge, and completed the Baby Bummit Hitchhike for charity. He also joined the Caving, Mountaineering, and Strength Sports Societies, to balance his emotional wellbeing during the pandemic.

To widen his perspective, James undertook a 6 week voluntary placement with AEISEC in Indonesia, where he worked towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He also volunteered as Outreach Officer raising funds for Project Kestrel, a student-led social enterprise providing medical supplies to East Africa.

After a highly competitive process, James has secured a graduate employment offer at UK technology vendor, Softcat

We wish all our Dean's List winners every success for the future and we hope to keep you updated as they progress through their professional careers!