We extend a huge congratulations to all ten UCL finalists in this year’s targetjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards. Being recognised as a finalist is a significant achievement and reflects both academic excellence and commitment to personal and professional development.
We spoke to some of our finalists about their experience of applying for the awards, and what helped make their applications stand out.
What motivated you to apply?
Chelsea Semou, BSc Information Management for Business - Celebrating Social Mobility finalist: I applied because I wanted to show that where you start does not define where you can go. There were moments in my life when opportunities like this felt out of reach, as though they were meant for someone else. Social mobility is not just a category to me, it is something I have lived. I hoped that being visible in a space like this could make it feel more possible for someone coming behind me.
Muna Okorie, BSc Global Humanitarian Studies - Black Heritage finalist: I was motivated to apply for the award as it was an amazing opportunity to benchmark my progress against a highly competitive cohort and gain meaningful external validation of my work.
Beyond recognition, being a finalist offers exposure to industry through insight days, networking and a potential internship (for the winner) which aligns closely with my career ambitions.
Elliana Roostalu, MEng Sustainable Built Environments, Energy and Resources - Social Mobility in Real Estate and the Built Environment finalist: I was motivated to apply because I have benefitted from widening participation initiatives in my own life, especially before university when they helped me gain confidence and discover career paths. I am particularly passionate about widening participation in the built environment.
Vaibhav Mehra, MEng Robots and Artificial Intelligence - AI Innovator finalist: I mainly applied because I wanted an external benchmark. Most of my work sits in between AI, maths and building things, and I think it’s easy to lose perspective when you’re deep in that. I also liked that it awards how you think and create, not just results. And honestly, I was curious to see how far I could take it.
This [applying] felt like a way to test whether what I’m doing actually stands out beyond my own environment.
What made your application successful?
Muna: I think the breadth of my work contributed to my success as I exhibited achievements across professional, academic and personal areas. These achievements also happened to align with Sky’s values as a company; this is something I made sure to emphasise. I also aimed to build a clear narrative, structuring my application like a story to make it more engaging and help distinguish myself.
Vaibhav: I focused on showing how I think rather than just what I have done. A lot of my work involves breaking down complex AI ideas into something visual and intuitive, and I tried to reflect that in how I wrote the application. Instead of listing everything, I centred it around a clear direction.
I think my application was specific and honest. Rather than listing achievements, I focused on the thread connecting them.
Chelsea: Whether that is speaking in Parliament on child poverty or delivering AI education to over 700 students as an Anthropic Ambassador, I wanted to show that impact and background are not separate. They are part of the same story.
Elliana: I had to complete tests as part of the process, and I think having experience from previous internship application processes helped a lot, as they are often a case of practice. In my application, I made sure to be specific and mention particular projects I had worked on.
For the interview, I would say just be yourself. They are not expecting you to know everything about real estate [Elliana's award category] but want to see that you are willing to learn.
Any other thoughts about the awards, or the award application process?
Chelsea: The experience has reinforced how important it is to broaden the definition of potential. Social mobility is often framed around outcomes, but this category highlights the resilience, perspective, and responsibility that come with navigating challenging circumstances. Being part of this process has also shown me the value of community. It has encouraged me to think more intentionally about how I use my own opportunities and to help open doors for others.
Muna: Applying for the Black Heritage Award has been particularly meaningful to me, as it represents an opportunity to celebrate both personal achievement and the wider impact of diverse perspectives. My experiences have shaped not only my academic and professional development, but also my awareness of the importance of representation in competitive industries.
The full list of UCL’s ten 2026 finalists are as follows:
The Undergraduate of the Year Award Celebrating Social Mobility in Real State and the Built Environment
Elliana Roostalu, MEng Sustainable Built Environments, Energy and Resources
The Future Insurance Professional of the Year
Yash Sawad, BSc Economics
The Engineering Undergraduate of the Year
Rimarna Ewan, MEng Mechanical Engineering
The AI Innovator of the Year
Vaibhav Mehra, MEng Robots and Artificial Intelligence
The Black Heritage Undergraduate of the Year Award
Muna Okorie, BSc Global Humanitarian Studies
The Multilingual Undergraduate of the Year Award
Nermine Boubouh, BSc Management Science
Luna Falatar, BASc Arts and Sciences with Study Abroad
Eren Koc, BA Language and Culture
The Undergraduate of the Year Award Celebrating Social Mobility
Dann Lacea, MSci Business and Health
Chelsea Semou, BSc Information Management for Business
Congratulations!
Reflections from our 2025 finalists
Read more insights from Undergraduate of the Year Awards finalists and get inspired to apply in the future.
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