Marco Benedettelli, a third year undergraduate student in the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London was recently shortlisted for the 2018 Undergraduate of the Year Award for Innovation.
The annual TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards competition is aimed at finding the best undergraduates in the UK. Awards are made in 12 categories, each sponsored by a prominent graduate recruiter who provides a fantastic prize for the winner, including a paid internship, trips abroad and other exclusive opportunities. Marco and other shortlisted candidates were invited to a ceremony hosted by TV presenter and keen promoter of science and maths, Rachel Riley at Canary Wharf on Friday, 20 April.
Marco reached the top 10 with over 200 applications, matching the judging criteria of entrepreneurial spirit, questioning mindset, drive and persistence to change the status quo for the better. He demonstrated his skills as a digital champion, and his enthusiasm for improving lives by finding innovative ways of working with new technologies and Big Data.
Although he didn’t go on to win the Innovation Award, Marco described it afterwards as one of the best experiences ever,
“I had a chance to network with CEOs, VPs from different companies and expand my network extensively. Such a unique opportunity for your own personal growth. The main lesson learned here is just that it is absolutely important to throw yourself into any interesting opportunity you find. I started with Enactus at Royal Holloway, but it could be anything. If you’re good enough and put some serious effort you will definitely end up creating your own unique set of skills useful both in your life and in your job.”
Marco Benedettelli, a top ten finalist in the UK Undergraduate of the Year 2018
Marco’s Personal Advisor and Lecturer in the Department of Psychology, Dr Joshua Balsters said,
“Marco is a wonderfully engaging and enthusiastic student. I’m delighted to see that all his hard work is being recognised.”
During a rigorous assessment process of tests and interviews, Marco presented his experience as a member of the Royal Holloway Enactus team, working on local and international projects in his role as Corporate Relations Executive. He also drew on his experience of co-founding a company called ‘The Extract’ to target students' commercial awareness related to Investment Banking, Startups, Cryptocurrencies and Emerging Markets. He also completed several tests ranging from Numerical Reasoning and Critical Thinking, to Personality, and was questioned about current economic affairs and technology.
Marco then went through a second stage of assessment involving a 10-minute presentation on sharing growth ambition and innovation in a specific situation. He presented his strategy and innovation experience with Enactus during the preparation for the regional competition and The Extract when he co-organised a team of individuals from 10 different countries.
Enactus is an international community of student, academic and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. At Enactus Royal Holloway, students apply business concepts to develop community outreach projects, helping to improve the standard of living for individuals and groups in need.
Find out more about studying Psychology at Royal Holloway here
