Class of 2017: Enrikas Balsys

All this week we are celebrating the achievements of some of our students who are graduating in the class of 2017. Enrikas Balsys, graduating today from Essex Business School, tells us his story.

Enrikas Balsys (BSc Management and Marketing) has enjoyed phenomenal success with the Essex Blades basketball squad – remaining undefeated for three years and in the process twice gaining promotion to put them into the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) premier league.

They also won the Basketball England national league division 4 and rounded off the season picking up a gold medal at an international tournament in Antwerp.

“We joined in the first year of a programme which really aimed to put Essex on the map in the world of basketball. I think we have certainly achieved that,” said Enrikas, a Lithuanian international, who also played in America before taking up his scholarship at Essex.

But it has not just been about basketball. As part of his course, Enrikas has designed a shopping app, aimed at both empowering people to love the way they look and making it easier for them to buy clothes on-line. He is currently testing his product and hopes to launch it in the summer. He has received help from the Start-Up Hub, which supports student businesses.