Whatever your business or path in life, it’s important to give back. The Business & Current Affairs club is pleased to announce its scholarship fund for the second year, offering incoming masters students a financial award plus the honor of club presidency for the coming year. Last year’s recipients and current club leadership Lars Zinck Bach, Livia Marchi-Ranieri, and Sophie Spitzer reflect on their experience to date and share the all-important details for interested applicants.

Lars, Livia and Sophie, welcome! What is the Business & Current Affairs Club, for any newcomers?

Our mission is to discuss and better understand the intersection of business, politics, and current affairs. We do so by organizing events and sessions to promote student leadership, and collaborating to think of solutions to complex problems. Our members and attendees educate themselves and others about current affairs while developing their critical and analytical skills.

Tell us about the scholarship.

The scholarship initiative started last year on the Dubai campus. Our goal is to financially support interested students. With the scholarship comes a position as a potential president of the club the following year. Last year we were the three selected recipients of the scholarship and by popular vote became the presidents of BCA on the San Francisco and Boston campuses.

What motivated you to apply?

Lars: I knew I wanted to do some sort of extracurricular activity during my studies. I stumbled across this opportunity and it was very appealing since I like to stay informed about the different global affairs, especially in the realms of politics. Creating the link to my business education seemed like a perfect fit.

Livia: The main motivation was my passion and need for my accessible education, and with that, the discussion of important topics that go beyond the typical business aspect.

Sophie: I was the club president of the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation for two consecutive years during my bachelor studies in Austria. The experience taught me a lot about leadership and project management, but what struck me most was that I discovered my passion for bringing people together. Brainstorming with bright minds, bringing ideas to life, and creating great networks are what I burn for and are what sparked my interest in the BCA Think Tank.

Why is it important to fundraise for this cause?

It is of crucial importance to raise (young) people’s awareness on topics that are relevant not only to them personally, but more so, to them as global citizens. In an international environment like Hult, cultures from almost every nation of this world come together, with incredible potential. The importance of incentivizing future students to be the facilitators of insightful conversations and spark the interest of other students cannot be understated.

The scholarship is now available for the coming year—what are you looking for in a scholar? What will they be required to do?

Soft leadership skills such as communication, teamwork, decision making, empowerment, and empathy are all very important to success in this role.

We have created a two-step application process. In the first round, applicants will submit a 3-5 minute presentation on a self-chosen topic relevant to a current trend and its effect on business. The top candidates will then go on to a final interview round. To make it an unbiased process we have a scholarship committee, which consists of multiple members from last year’s e-board.

What have you worked on during your leadership of the club? What have been your proudest achievements?

Livia: During the past few months we’ve held various sessions and events and were able to raise money for the scholarship. My proudest moments are probably during sessions when we get to reflect and spark critical thinking with our members. Beyond that, we’re actively present on social media and have started a blog where we post interesting articles written by members.

Lars: My role has been to create the link between the two campuses and make sure we function as one organization. My proudest moments have been at multiple events where we worked hard to get guest speakers on current topics, such as the trade war or Brexit. In Hult’s international setting, they bring a lot of students together.

Sophie: My proudest moment throughout this exciting BCA journey was for sure the event on Brexit. Working as joint forces my team and I managed to welcome the British Consul General, Harriet Cross, to come and speak at Hult—even a number of professors attended this event.

How has the club grown and developed? How do you make it work across multiple cities?

Last year, Victoria [Landa-Steinau, Club President] ran the club on the Dubai campus; this year, we are located in Boston and San Francisco. For 2020 we hope to be located across three of Hult’s main campuses.

The core way we make it work is through our monthly advisory meeting, which functions as a real business meeting: we go through our tasks from the last month, set up new agendas, and make sure everything aligns with our timeline for the semester. Victoria still helps out and has a role as an advisor. We’ve also set up a Slack communication board to improve our connection.

Sounds great—as a potential applicant, what should I know?

The scholarships on offer are $1000-1500 USD, and recipients will take on presidency of the BCA club for the following year.

How to apply:

• Applicants are required to submit a resume/CV, and a video presentation of 3-5 minutes on a self-chosen topic addressing a current trend and how it affects business, to bcascholarship.hult@gmail.com
• All incoming masters students across Hult’s campuses are eligible to apply. Please note, to apply for a Hult scholarship you must have already been accepted onto a Hult program
• The deadline to apply is *now extended to June 1, 2020*
• Successful applicants will be shortlisted for interview
• Following interviews, the successful recipients will be notified
• Questions? Contact the club presidents at bcascholarship.hult@gmail.com

Thank you, Team BCA, and good luck!

Interested to see what a masters program at Hult could hold for you? Download a brochure to find out more.