Congratulations to Alexandra for the incredible work she's been doing that has been recognised by this prestigious award - and to the other ten King’s finalists who demonstrated incredible skills in their respective categories, beating out of over 6,000 applicants to make the final!
Andrew Wright, Associate Director (Employer Engagement & Work-based Learning) who attended the awards ceremony.
27 April 2026
King's Economics student wins Multilingual Undergraduate of the Year at prestigious awards
King's student, Alexandra Bykova was awarded the prestigious Multilingual Undergraduate of the Year at the 2026 targetjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards which celebrate the best of undergraduate talent across the UK.
Alexandra, a second-year Economics BSc student, speaks five languages and is a member of the KCL Capital Markets Society.
The annual competition aims to find the best undergraduates in the UK – those who are succeeding in their academic studies but more importantly giving back through extra-curricular activities which enhance their communities, student life and ultimately their career opportunities.
Each of 16 awards is partnered by a prominent graduate recruiter who provides a fantastic prize for the winner, which could include meaningful work experience and networking opportunities, a trip abroad or other exclusive opportunities. The Multilingual Undergraduate of the Year is sponsored by Bloomberg and includes a paid summer internship - a prime opportunity to secure graduate role with the global organisation.
She beat off competition from nine other finalists in the category and was awarded at a ceremony held at The Pelligon in Canary Wharf last Friday, 24 April. The Awards, run by targetjobs were hosted by Candy Kittens founder and TV personality Jamie Laing, for the second year and saw attendees from employers and university careers teams meet the finalists over lunch.
Alongside Alexandra’s success, King's was also represented by a record ten other finalists in eight further categories, themselves demonstrating their impressive skills and impact balancing their academic studies and career aspirations:
- Somaya Abdi - Biochemistry BSc, Black Heritage Undergraduate of the Year
- Rakan Al-Manary - International Relations BA, Male Undergraduate of the Year
- Amanda Baiarda-Harris - Medical Ethics & Law MA, Career Changer of the Year
- Helena de Freitas Ferrari - International Relations BA, Future Lawyer of the Year
- Giulia Hussain - International Relations BA, Multilingual Undergraduate of the Year
- Kaustubh Joshi - Electronic Engineering BEng, Engineering Undergraduate of the Year
- Harmehar Kaur - Computer Science with a Year in Industry, Semiconductor Undergraduate of the Year
- Ihsaan Rahman - General Engineering BEng, Engineering Undergraduate of the Year
- Sarvejan Nanthankumar - Mathematics with Statistics, Undergraduate of the Year Celebrating Social Mobility in Real Estate and the Built Environment
- Tyler Welby - History & International Relations BA, Undergraduate of the Year Celebrating Excellence through Future Skills
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Associate Director (Employer Engagement & Work-based Learning)
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- Employer Engagement
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- King’s Edge
- King’s & London
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