Back in September, I received an email about different internship opportunities and that’s when I first came across the targetjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards. The “Celebrating Resilience” category sponsored by Rolls-Royce stood out to me. I wanted to apply, but I let self-doubt get the better of me and closed the page.

Months later, I came across it again and something clicked. After everything I’d been through trying to get to where I was at university, all the setbacks and the rejections, I felt I owed it to myself to at least give it a go. By that point, I’d been rejected from several internships, and instead of letting it discourage me, it weirdly enough gave me the courage to go in with no fear of failing.

When the date I was expected to get a response came and went, I assumed I hadn't made it. A week later, whilst sitting in a coffee shop, I got a call. I didn’t pick up at first, but then I saw the voicemail transcription: “Hi, this is Tracey from Rolls-Royce…” I literally dropped everything I was doing and ran outside to call back. I’d made it to the top 20 and was invited to the assessment centre, I couldn’t believe it.

The week before my Rolls Royce assessment centre, I had another assessment centre that didn’t go well. I think that experience helped though. It reminded me not to try so hard to fit someone I thought the interviewers wanted to see. At the Rolls-Royce assessment centre, I just went in as myself. And it worked. I genuinely enjoyed the day, had great conversations with the interviewers. I even found myself laughing at times. I left thinking, “Wait….That actually went well???”

Still though, I didn’t expect to win. So, when I got the call saying I’d made the top 10 and was being offered a summer internship, I was shocked and so, so grateful.

At the awards ceremony, everyone I had met was so supportive and inspiring. The Rolls-Royce employees made me feel so welcomed and I loved the conversations I had that day. Then, it finally became the time to announce the winners of each category. When it got to the celebrating resilience category, I was preparing to clap when they announced the winner. That’s when I heard my name, “Gabriela Cukaj.” I was stunned, there must had been a mistake, I had won?? I was so grateful, and I know this will be a core memory in my life.

I learned afterwards that the winner was chosen based on assessment centre performance. That made it even more meaningful, having been rejected due to not performing that well in previous assessment centres, to then performing the best, I was overwhelmed with joy. I learned that just staying true to myself was enough.

If there’s one thing I’d want others to take away from my experience, it’s this: keep trying. Rejection doesn’t define your potential. Just be yourself. People notice authenticity, and when you stop trying to perform and fit a certain mould but instead start connecting; the process becomes so much more enjoyable, and you may even surprise yourself.