NegotiateUp is a negotiation competition held annually in the United States. This year, the event was held online, with 133 people connecting from 40 different countries. Among them, Luiss students Serena Poggi and Hansol Kim, who made it to this year’s finals.
Serena tells us: “I participated for fun, I never thought I’d make it to the finals. Alongside me was Hansol, who I met in a Negotiation course. We represented a family company; she was the CEO and I was on the Board of Directors. Hansol was great because she knew how to use maintaining the company’s identity. This is what they taught us at Luiss: negotiators are not lacking in emotions or interests; you have to uphold your principles to reach a win-win situation. It was a great experience: I was really taken back by the feedback from professors and instructors from MIT or Harvard and working with people from different backgrounds.”
Hansol replied: “I wanted to put to use what I learned in the Negotiating Lab, so I decided to participate. I knew it would be hard, but I considered the competition a challenge that would help me grow. I had a lot of fun, in both the individual and group negotiations. The competition put a lot of emphasis on the ability to improvise: they gave us instructions and we had very little time to plan before the negotiation started. This made it really dynamic and stimulating. I am so happy that I made it to finals with Serena and that I got to know the negotiation world at the global level.”
Both Serena and Hansol are satisfied with their time at Luiss. “It’s a great place to prepare for the job market, both for its network and the faculty’s professionalism,” said Serena. Hansol commented she was particularly impressed with the “patience and availability of the tutors.” Both mentioned the positive impact on their careers from Negotiation Professors Angelo Monoriti, Rachele Gabellini, Francesco Rossi and Silvia Nutini. To her list of influential educators, Serena also added Nicola De Luca, an instructor of European Business Law and her thesis advisor, who “lights up the room with his love for the subject when he lectures.”
The students then reflected back on their fondest memories at Luiss. For Serena, it’s her first and last exams at the University: “Two different emotions, but both incredibly strong: so shy for the first and so confident for the second.” Hansol, on the other hand, mentioned the course she taught on Korean language and culture as part of Students for Students: “It was wonderful, I shared my experience, discovered different points of view and met people who became so important to me.”
The two negotiators have clear ideas for their futures: Serena would like to work in company law, hopefully for in an international setting that allows her to interact with people from different countries. Hansol would prefer to work in international human rights law.
Both offer advice to students interested in following in their footsteps. Serena urges students to never give up while Hansol believes in facing your fears because it’s never too late.