Soumya Namdeo

Member of the Dean's List, class of 2023

Soumya has excelled in every aspect of student life at Sheffield, starting by receiving an International Management Merit Scholarship. She was amongst only 10% of Indian students selected for the ‘Next Genius Scholarship Programme by US universities’, and during her second year of University she won the Dean’s List Level 2 Pathway Challenge.

Professional development

Soumya successfully completed a placement year in Marketing and Project Management at Cummins, where she initiated a project to share the company’s corporate social responsibility activities and volunteered for the organisation’s ‘Disability and Inclusion’ and ‘Women Empowerment’ groups. Upon returning for her final year, she supported students applying for their placements as a Placement Ambassador in the School. 

To supplement her placement experience, Soumya undertook numerous internships including client support and communications at Cuemath, where she worked six 12-hour night shifts per week over the course of 2 months. At Chahal Academy she undertook freelance work as a Business Development Executive, and she gained marketing experience as an intern at EDUopinions.

Active in the community

Soumya demonstrated an active dedication to supporting her community throughout her studies in Sheffield. She supported the Plasma Connect donation drive, took on the role of Volunteering Ambassador at Sheffield Foodworks, and was also a Student Mentor to four of her fellow students. Combining skills-development and social responsibility, Soumya took part in the Techstar Startup Weekend 2022 and was awarded 'The Most Voted Business Idea'. She then launched a nutrition-focused app to improve students’ eating habits and manage stress. 

In the University, Soumya was a Student Panel Council Member, acting as a student voice to raise issues and share concerns to the Student Panel Team. In another position as Student Support Worker, she took notes on behalf of students with disabilities and dyslexia for an average of eight hours per week.

Amongst her many contributions Soumya was heavily involved with Enactus as the Partnership and Engagement Lead for the Fibreberry project. For Fibreberry, she contacted over 150 NGOs and pitched proposals to obtain resources and funds, to help provide shoes to children in Nigeria who are affected by floods and droughts. She was an active member of numerous student societies, becoming Vice Chair of the International Students' Committee where she organised their flagship International Cultural Evening. She joined the Societies Committee as Social Secretary and then the New Societies Representative.

As Secretary and then Chair of the Volunteering Committee, Soumya initiated work towards hosting a volunteering award ceremony and led the committee to win ‘Most Improved Committee of the Year Award’. 

On completion of her studies, Soumya secured a Graduate Product Manager position at Experian, with visa sponsorship.