The beginning of a new academic year is always an exciting time for everyone. Freshers are starting to get used to university life, alternating parties, introductory meetings and endless societies’ socials; second years are now settled down, happy to be back with their friends and to feel a bit more like Londoners; third years live in a limbo between relief and the blackest despair, feeling that they have become adults for real.
However, all students have one thing in common: they all want to make the best out of their time (and fees, my little conscience voice adds) at City and to find their way after graduation. This week’s Celebrity is a young charismatic woman who has put all the effort to catch every single possibility of growth that has been given to her in the last year. Aakriti Jha is at her second year of Business Studies and she wouldn’t stop even in front of a tornado. This year she’s not only Financial Manager for AIESEC City, but also Marketing Director for Enactus. Let’s find out a little bit more about her and her impressive time management skills.
So Aakriti, your second year at City is about to start. Do you feel you have changed much during the last year? Yes, definitely. During my first year, I used to not wake up in time to many of my lectures and I was too lazy. But eventually I realised how important it is to go to uni and now I try to get up as early as possible! I also feel that I have developed various skills by being a part of many activities. This has made me much more confident and open to opportunities.
I know that, a part from studying, you do a lot of extra-curricular activities. Which ones? I love involving myself in a lot of extra-curricular activities as I believe that one needs to be a well-rounded individual in today’s world. During my first year at university, I had a lot of free time and hence decided to do something productive out of it. The first ever society that I joined was AIESEC. I committed working for it 7-8 hours per week, and along with this, I was also the Widening Participation Ambassador, Course Representative and the Marketing Director of Enactus. At the beginning I couldn’t juggle everything, but with time I got used to the busy schedule and I was finally able to manage my time well. Even though there were many ups and downs of being a part of such a wide range of activities, I believe that I developed numerous skills and gained invaluable experiences.
What is Enactus and what is your role in this society? Enactus is a society whereby students come up with sustainable business ideas and plans that can help overcome a problem for underprivileged. As the Marketing Director, I am in charge of creating promotional materials, co-organising info sessions and other events. I really believe in the society’s purpose of spreading entrepreneurial action and now that I think of it, I love being a part of it! It’s such a huge student organisation and I can meet loads of new people.
We are all finally back in London after summer. Favourite place in the city? My favorite place in the City is definitely Canary Wharf. It is my dream to work in one of those tall buildings overlooking the great city of London.
Biggest dream + worst nightmare? My biggest dream is to become the CEO of a large multinational organisation and travelling to different places and my worst nightmare is… Being chased by a dog!
And finally, what would you advise to all the enthusiastic Freshers out there? Make the most of your first year! You might want to just be lazy, party a lot and not work (because I was like that as well) and I am not saying that don’t do that. Do party a lot and do have fun. But also make the most of the opportunities that come about.  If you start grabbing such opportunities in your first year, you will definitely have an advantage in your second and third year. So, have fun, be a part of activities at and outside university, and make the best of your first year because it will never come back!