The Academic Awards Ceremony for the Fall Semester 2015 was held on September 21, 2016 in the Atrium. In addition to the ceremony, the Dean’s Luncheon followed with the awardees, faculty and staff members. Traditionally, each semester KCB hosts this ceremony to reward students who achieve outstanding academic performance in each program.

For international students in the Finance MBA, five students were selected as awardees for the last semester:

○ Highest
Phebian Nwakaego Bewaji (Nigeria)

○ High Honor
Daniela Alejandra Proano Cruz (Ecuador)
Tean Jean-Michel GBA (Cote d'Ivoire)
Stanislav Li (Uzbekistan)
Tewodros Tsegaye Cherenet (Ethiopia)

Phebian Nwakaego stated her feelings about winning this award:
 
"My appreciation goes to my organization for granting me a leave of absence to study at one of the most prestigious school in Asia and to KOICA which also provided this platform in Korea. KAIST has provided a myriad of experiences for me. Once anyone signs up for KAIST, one needs to put on some running shoes. The semester was intense. I had to find a delicate balance between keeping in sync for my academic requirements from all the courses, maintaining my state of mind and having a good sleep. I would usually take 5-10 minutes catnaps in between class hours during the day to make up for some hours of lost sleep at night.
 
KAIST demands the best from anyone, but I realize it was only to make us better equipped in the global environment. I love the student labs and study rooms – as they create additional space (apart from the library) for students to study and interact further with people from different cultural backgrounds. I would particularly like to thank all my professors – and a special thanks to Professors Ji Soo Kim, Kwangwoo Park, Sungmin Kim, Woo Hwa Koh, Byungjin Kwak, and Minki Kim. Their teaching abilities are at the top of the niche and so were the exams and team projects. My colleagues also played a role as we would usually organise some group study and learn from each other.
 
Most achievement in life requires some level of discipline and I was glad that I would be receiving an award. It made up for all the sacrifices. I look forward to applying what I learnt here at KAIST and in Korea to my future endeavours".

And, Stanislav said about studying at KAIST:

“KAIST College of Business is one of the best business schools in Korea, and it is also well-recognized worldwide. So when I was applying for KCB Finance MBA program, I knew that studying here would be challenging. A high-level university means high requirements. Indeed, my first semester was quite tough, but thanks to the supporting environment – the supportive professors, staff and students helped me to adapt to this new environment and perform at the school’s standards.

As a result, I managed to get the High Honor Award for academic achievement. Even though we are not studying here for this certificate, it is pleasant to be honored with such recognition. It shows us that our hard work is recognized and appreciated, and it motivates us to keep on studying hard and reach new levels in our abilities.

I would also like to highlight the faculty, their teaching style, and the facilities that are available for all students. For example, in most of the courses I have taken, all assignments or projects have been closely related to real world work experience and required the usage of different sources and facilities, such as the Bloomberg Terminal, Reuters Eikon or SAS. When I tell my friends from other top universities about studying in KAIST, they are all surprised, as they don’t usually have it in their schools. This is what differentiates KAIST from others and makes me proud to be a part of it.”

Actually it is the first time that many international students were selected as winners. KGSF members are very impressed with their efforts to achieve academic excellence. Congratulations!