Sarita Koendjbiharie Wins a Give-and-Take Trophy by La Red
Dr. Sarita Koendjbiharie, lecturer at our International Studies programme, has won a Give-and-Take trophy by La Red, a network science consultancy firm. The trophy is awarded to the individuals who have the most valuable social capital and the willingness to support others with their network.
About the competition
La Red is a consultancy and network organisation that celebrated its 20th anniversary on September 14th in the WestCord Hotel in Delft. The event was attended by more than 200 guests. As part of the festivities, La Red asked the question: Who has the most valuable social capital and the willingness to support others with this?
To answer this question, the company launched a competition among 105 nominees who completed a questionnaire providing quantitative and qualitative information on their network. A jury committee of network experts then shortlisted 10 candidates who submitted a self-assessment, including their network philosophy and strategies for growth of their connections. Out of the 10, three finally received an award at the ceremony.
Sarita Koendjbiharie was one of the three winners, along with two other professionals from different sectors. She received a symbolic prize of “a piggy bank with wings” to show that investing in your network is investing for the future. La Red also presented her with a book “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi, a mystery dinner to benefit charity, and a matchmaking opportunity (Kansenkaart) through their firm, to find any desired new connection.
Sarita Koendjbiharie has been working at the International Studies programme for 10 years, after founding labor market preparation courses in 2014. She focuses on the bridge between academia and practice, and coaches internships and research with a link to practice. She coordinates and teaches organisation theory, and the large living lab consultancy course Practising International Studies, together with many colleagues.
“Giving = Growing”
She said that the experience of (self)assessment made her more aware of the value of how she is connecting with people. She also shared her network strategy, which was labeled by Dr. Martin Haring of the jury as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Hero Turtles Model, an inspiring and fun comparison. He explained that, like Splinter, there are people in education and other sectors that support young talent and invest in people when they are still developing and ‘small’. Sarita said that it felt good to be acknowledged in this personalised way among other expert connectors, and happy that she was included to represent a university among different organisations.
She also gave some advice to the staff and students of the International Studies programme: “Give energy and time without expecting and unexpectedly the energy returns in unforeseen ways; Giving = Growing”.
You can find more information about the competition and the prize on the website of La Red: https://www.lared.nl/event/give-and-take-trophy/