This year, BSc Management student Kamila Filipek (right) and Nicole Nguyen (left), who is studying Marketing have landed the sought-after roles of Student Experience Assistants for their Year in Industry. The assistants are there to ensure students feel supported during their academic and non-academic experience with KBS. They also work closely with the Marketing and Student Experience Teams to improve student engagement. Here, they tell us a bit about themselves and all they hope to offer Kent Business School in their new roles…
Kamila: “I wanted to give back to the University”
“As a keen player of sport, who enjoys teamwork, I am studying Management here at Kent and have just finished my second year. I have loved every minute of uni life. The learning here really centres on collaboration and working together. I am also of Polish heritage but hail from London, so I adore the international feel of the campus alongside the green spaces, which are a tranquillity compared to my London life.
“Things at university were plain sailing until the pandemic derailed me a bit. The Wellbeing team helped me to stay positive and strong. I even lead a few ‘social’ events online with my La Crosse team such as quizzes and drinks. As we emerged from lockdown, I felt ready to really throw myself into a work placement for my third year. I wanted to give back to the University that had been there so much for me.
“Nicola Urquhart emailed the job description to all KBS students and it was a lightbulb moment. I immediately applied. Just getting to the interview process was a win for me. It was a great experience if a little tough. I gave a presentation with my ideas of improvements that could be made for student experience, with a focus on getting more effective feedback and the idea of doing taster lectures of KBS courses for students in other divisions. When I found out that I had got the job I was stunned – it was my perfect placement.
“I am settling in very well! Everyone at Kent Business School is so welcoming and friendly. We have definitely been pushed into the deep end, due to organising welcome week/inductions, but I have loved every minute of it. I’ve already learnt so much in the role and looking forward to exploring it further. My aspirations are to work in global event management, so I hope to really get my teeth into some planning of events in the near future.”
Nicole: ” I hope the students get the best experience they can”
“I am a big creative and study marketing. I am fascinated by the psychology of art and how design, colour and visuals can really change the way someone feels or behaves.
“Growing up in Vietnam my parents were keen for me to come to the UK to study my GCSEs and I won a scholarship to a boarding school near Blackpool. My Business Studies teacher studied at Kent and he recommended I apply. I was also excited to study somewhere without the grey, rainy weather of the North. From the first day on campus, I adored it. Joining lots of societies like Abacus and Kent Dance meant I threw myself into a social life.
“Like Kamila, the pandemic really showed me what a supportive university this is – one I am incredibly proud to study, and now work, at. I had to go back home to Vietnam which was a lot of upheaval, not least of all with a time difference of 6 hours! I was often doing lectures at 11pm! My teachers and the wellbeing staff were there for me and without them, I don’t know if I could have got through such a bleak time.
“Presenting to a large team from Student Experience at Kent Business School was daunting, but I felt as though it went well. I highlighted the importance of a focus on EDI students and to improve the work we do with lots of different international societies to improve. When I heard back from the team to say I got the job, I was elated.
“Working on Welcome Week was ever-more important after the pandemic, I want to make sure that students get the best experience they can. We have got to talk with different teams and working on a variety of tasks already, it is certainly busier working in an office than it is studying!”
“My dream job is to work in marketing for the entertainment industry, so this role will provide some excellent experience that will help me get there.”
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