Wittenborg UEFA 2020 Pool Winner Announced

This week, the winner of the UEFA 2020 pool organised by Wittenborg’s communications department was revealed, and it happens to be Shamsodin K. Shavandi from Iran. With this win, Shavandi scored (pun intended) triple hits, as he has just graduated on July 9 with an MBA in International Management and signed a contract with an employer in the Netherlands.

Being a huge football fan, he was able to predict several match results, including the victory of Italy - his favourite team - over England, which ultimately led him to win the football pool. Coming in second and third places in the competition were Karen Penninga, Wittenborg's Director of Corporate Governance, and Lena Vandenbosch, International Partnership Manager, respectively.

On Thursday, July 16, Wittenborg staff from the communications and admissions departments welcomed Shamsodin one more time at Wittenborg’s office to present the lucky winner with his prize and a customised cake. He was very kind to share his cake with the staff and interns at the office, and stayed for some time to spend a cosy break time with them.

Shavandi's journey at Wittenborg

Shavandi told us that he moved to the Netherlands along with his family  two years ago in order to pursue his postgraduate studies at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences. During these two years, the whole family learned to adapt to their new life in the Netherlands, including his children, who first had to familiarise themselves with the local language. Fast forward, graduation time approached and Shavandi received some excellent news. Two weeks before the graduation ceremony, he was called to sign an employment contract with an Amsterdam-based company, and began to work immediately from home. On Friday, July 9, he attended the Graduation Ceremony and officially obtained his MBA International Management diploma. Following that, this week, he was pronounced the winner of Wittenborg's UEFA 2020 pool.

He feels very happy and grateful for having completed his studies at Wittenborg, despite the challenges caused by the pandemic and the whole process of adapting to life in a new country. He advises other students to commit to their education, while also enjoying their free time and the experiences they gain throughout their education journey.

After the short time spent together, Shavandi bade farewell to Wittenborg, as he aims to move nearer to his new workplace. Wittenborg congratulates Shavandi on his achievements and wishes him success in his future endeavours!

WUP 16/7/2021
by Laura Serrano
© WUAS Press