For many of us, university marks the beginning of a new stage in our lives and serves as a place to explore our ambitions and goals. For Tea Abrasheva, the President of King’s Business Club (KBC) this academic year, her time at King’s College London has been a journey she embarked on before she ever set foot on campus. Through her experiences at KBC and interning at some of the world’s largest and most influential companies, Tea’s journey exemplifies what can be achieved as a university student.

Therefore, it seems fitting that Tea is featured in King’s Business Review’s latest series, Leaders @Kings. Leaders @Kings seeks to highlight the journeys and stories of those of us at King’s and what we can all learn from them. Tea’s journey is not easy, and her ascent to the Presidency of one of the largest society committees in the United Kingdom is a testament to what can be achieved through hard work, ambition, and resilience.

Tea at the annual KBC Awards in 2023. Image Credit: King’s Business Club

Getting to King’s

Tea always knew, deep down, that she wanted to live either in the UK or the USA, something she describes as an unspoken agreement with her family. Tea truly fell in love with the UK during summer courses in Oxford. However, she wanted a big city, and through trips she would take to London, she fell again in love, but this time with the nation’s capital.

“Kings was always my number one choice.”

Tea knew that she wanted to do management since High School, and she credits her IB Business and Management teacher with inspiring her love for it.

“She was my harshest teacher, my harshest critic, but she was also my mentor as well.”

However, she credits her father, a lawyer turned businessman, for her love of the business career. Not wanting to restrict herself to a single place or country, as law degrees often do, Tea chose her path into business, seeking to travel the world. However, the path was not to be easy.

A King’s College London administrative error meant Tea had found herself on her way to what she thought was her Freshers week in Edinburgh. Having received no confirmation, despite meeting her offer from King’s, Tea had decided to study in Edinburgh. However, out of the blue, King’s had sent her a message asking if she would be enrolling.

Tea never expected to be accepted so late, but through a process she describes as a “heist”, she ended up moving to London.

“So, I ended up … kind of like it was a little heist. I took everything and left very quickly. Found this random Bulgarian person in a car that was able to drive me from Edinburgh to London”.

She had nowhere to live, a different visa, no help for accommodation, and was alone in one of the world’s largest cities. By the time everything was settled, Tea had missed a semester of her first year.

However, with the path behind her, it is clear that this truly set the tone for her time at King’s and her presidency. Resilience, hard work, and determination will always get you where you are meant to be.

From the awe of Disney to the High Stakes of BlackRock

Tea’s first professional internship started at Disney, a company she had dreamed of working for since she was a child.

“It was very ironic because as a child I was a theatre kid. I love theatre. I love singing. And I was very little, and I was like, one day I’m going to work for Disney”.

Whilst Tea imagined working in the movies, she ended up in strategy.

According to Tea, she was not worried when she went to work for Disney despite its status as a global entertainment giant. She credits her time in KBC for preparing her for the culture and the style of work she would be expected to carry out. She even set up her own society inside Disney, the Intern Learning Network, where events were held for people inside the company to get to know each other and their roles.

“We would host monthly events where interns and other employees of the company presented more about their role and what they do.”

However, despite her childhood ambitions, Tea realised she did not see a long-term path in the entertainment sector. For her summer internship, she wanted something more challenging and dynamic. This led her to BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager.

“My placement year, I did it for the childhood me. The Summer I did for future me.”

However, despite its reputation, Tea found little difference between the culture at Disney and BlackRock. Despite their appearances, the only real difference was the higher stakes at BlackRock. The people were still the same, as was the culture of accountability or hard work.

“I did not meet one person that was not extremely happy to speak to, wanting to help you.”

If there is a key takeaway from Tea’s experience, use your internships and experiences as “free trials,” as Tea describes them. They are designed to let you explore a company and how it works for you. It is not a life sentence.

A photo of Tea and the committee from the King’s Business Club trip to Athens in October 2024. Image Credit: Philipp Seiferth.

Leading King’s Business Club

Tea returned from her time at Disney and BlackRock to her degree at King’s and, in her final year, the presidency of KBC. Her motivation was clear: to give back to the society that had given her this wealth of opportunity and experience.

“I wouldn’t have done a placement or a summer internship if it was not by KBC and I stand by that. I come from a culture where we love life and we love summer. The last thing we think about are summer internships and Spring weeks. I had no idea what a Spring week was.”

However, Tea had ideas of her own alongside her Vice-President, Valentin, and their vision for KBC was ambitious from the start of their vision deck.

“Usually, they achieve around 60%; we achieved 90%.”

With the establishment of King’s Brand and reforms to various areas across KBC, their legacy will be one to remember. However, that has not come without its challenges, the largest of which Tea describes as being the shift in relationships.

“There’s this distance, this unspoken distance.”

“People, at the end of the day, see you as a person who gives them tasks, who gives them sometimes very negative feedback. Because that’s the reality. You obviously are part of the friend group, but you’re not really.”

“I never counted for it, let’s say”.

However, this period has not been without its positives, either. Achieving 90% of her vision and building the largest KBC in history is a testament to her leadership and determination to grow the society. However, she has also built relationships and friendships with people that will last a lifetime and show the true heart behind her leadership.

“I’m very proud just of the growth I’ve seen in people.”

“People will join in the beginning, and of course, it’ll be a little disorienting. They’ll be confused. The moment they feel comfortable and confident enough to start making kind of decisions on their own, that’s amazing because it means that I’ve done my job right.”

The Myth of the Work-Life Balance Debunked

Between her time at King’s Business Club, internships, and degree, Tea has little time to herself. However, it is something that she does not need to, in her opinion, keep totally equally balanced.

“The work you do at KBC is so real, and you see its results. It’s way more, at least for a person like me; it’s way more attractive, engaging, and pleasant than any academic work. I love academia, I love learning new things, but KBC work is just so much more rewarding.”

Her advice for those students who maybe, like her, wish to get involved with any society, KBC or not?

“Just don’t be scared. If you’re not sure now, when are you going to be sure? University flies by.”

For the more ambitious here at Kings, who may one day see themselves taking on any leadership position, Tea emphasises commitment.

“You have got to picture yourself doing this six months, nine months, twelve months in the future. Picture yourself tired; picture yourself being busy.”

A photo of the whole of the King’s Business Club Committee (present for the photoshoot). Image Credit: King’s Business Club.

The Future of King’s Business Club and Beyond

As her term came to an end, King’s Business Review asked Tea where she saw her legacy and where KBC was heading.

“Obviously I’m doing it for you guys, but I was also doing it for the people that will come after us in five, ten, hopefully more years. That’s what many people don’t realise, but I think if you have as a leader, if you have an outlook of only your term, then you’re doing something wrong.”

The editorial team also asked her to describe her term in three words, which is a question we will ask all of the Leaders @Kings participants. Tea chose: Nuanced, Fun, and Foundational. She emphasised that the growth and change of this year have required a nuanced approach that, with some fun, has had a foundational effect for years to come.

A sentiment that cannot be disagreed with.

Conclusion

Tea Abrasheva’s journey from Edinburgh, as an uncertain applicant who believed she would not be studying in her dream city and university, to President of the King’s Business Club, a respected leader in the community, and a successful intern at globally renowned companies is nothing short of inspirational for King’s students. Her growth and leadership embody the Leaders @Kings series and what King’s Business Review seeks to showcase.

Her story reminds us that life is not a certain path, but you will always end up where you are meant to if you put in the hard work and make an impact and a little fun and enjoyment along the road never hurt anyone.

“If you don’t enjoy what you do, what are you doing?”