Cass students find their voice at essay competition

Marking its third instalment, the competition invites students from Cass Business School to write a personal essay on the topics of multiculturalism and diversity.

Out of the 26 entries to the competition, nine finalists were chosen and invited to celebrate at an online awards ceremony.

This year also saw Cass students from 20 different nationalities and 19 different degrees pen their thoughts on how multiculturism has shaped their lives in London.

The Judging Panel included Interim Dean, Professor Paolo Volpin; Professor André Spicer, Professor of Organisational Behaviour; Professor Bobby Bannerjee, Professor of Management; and Amy Ripley, PR and Communications Manager.

Winning student, Antonia Maidl (BSc Management), wrote her essay on how she has developed into a global citizen in a fast-paced London.

Becoming a global citizen in London

Antonia said: “I entered the competition as I wanted to share my full university experience with others considering I am soon going to graduate. I also wanted to encourage other students to go ‘all in’ and consider every opportunity that we are offered at Cass.

“In my essay I tried to demonstrate the change and personal growth you experience as a university student. I realised that studying in an international environment and a fast-paced city greatly shapes you as a person and increases your overall awareness of the world.

“I am from Bavaria, but I’ve grown to feel at home in London. I feel that the opportunities here, both from a personal and professional perspective, come with more variety and different challenges, which is something that can be hard to find in other European cities.

“I didn’t expect it to win the competition – I read the other finalist essays, which were all great in writing and unique in their story.However, it felt reassuring that taking risks, even small ones like writing a personal essay, get acknowledged and rewarded by the university.”

The competition was set up by Caroline Wiertz, Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean for Entrepreneurship and Lecturers in Marketing, Dr Sabrina Gottschalk and Dr Thomas Robinson.

Dr Gottschalk said: “We were thrilled to see many strong submissions from students across degrees at Cass.

“Each of the nine finalist essays tells a personal and powerful story. What unites them is that all authors provide a unique angle on this year’s topic ‘#Challenges’, mixed with creativity and an impressive standard of writing.

"Interestingly, this year’s competition also highlights that we have many talented female writers at Cass, as all nine finalists were women! Thank you again to all entrants for sharing your story and we look forward to running the competition again next year.”

Read the full essays on the Student Hub.