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“Sustainability needs to be considered whatever kind of industry you go into”

When I met with Emily Kanagasabay, I was surprised to learn that she had applied for the Undergraduate of the Year Awards right before the deadline, in the middle of her January exams. Rather than viewing it as additional work, Emily felt it was “a welcome break from the academic side of things”, describing the application as “straight-forward” and “not too time-consuming”.

Emily is a second-year Design Engineering student, a course she was drawn to for its flexibility and variety; “It’s very multi-disciplinary as a degree [and] gives you a flavour of lots of different fields.” As she continued, it became clear that it’s the science of engineering that fascinates her the most; what she describes as “the iterative process” of creating a concept and seeing it through to its manufacture.

“Having the awards sponsored by employers is really, really valuable.”

Consequently, when it came to choosing an award, Engineering Undergraduate of the Year was the clear choice. What’s more, it was sponsored by BAE Systems, an organisation in the defence sector. Emily is keen to explore this field because of the “cutting edge innovation” happening there. Motivated by high-pressure environments, she believes that “innovation is driven by high-performance and tight constraints”, a challenge she is excited to tackle.

The application process for the awards varies depending on the sponsor. Some involve multiple stages, others, like Emily’s, assess candidates simply with one set of questions. Emily was asked to write about her motivations, engineering, sustainability and wider challenges in the industry.  I did not expect her to be so enthusiastic about this part of the process. “You get to practice pitching yourself to an employer [which is] not something you necessarily practice throughout your degree,” she explained. “That’s an important skill to be able to build up.” Our careers consultants couldn’t agree more!

Prizes also differ by category but often include a professional experience. Emily, for example, has won a summer internship in mechanical engineering at BAE Systems. She is looking forward to applying the skills learnt in her degree to real-world scenarios. As for the future, Emily aims to put her degree to use, “bridging disparate engineering domains to address multidisciplinary engineering challenges.”

“Each stage of the process offers something different.”

For any ������ý considering applying for the awards, Emily is hugely encouraging. “Definitely go for it! You’ve got everything to gain.” The categories and sponsoring employers change every year so it’s worth taking a look to see if there are any organisations you are interested in connecting with. 

I’d like to offer Emily another huge congratulations and thank her for taking the time to meet with me. At the Careers Service, we look forward to seeing what she achieves next!

Could you be the next Undergraduate of the Year?

If you’re interested in finding out more, head to the website. The nominations for the 2027 awards will open during the autumn term.

To stay up to date on this and other upcoming opportunities, keep an eye on our Competitions and awards webpage, follow our socials or subscribe to our weekly newsletter via .