Real Estate BSc Honours student Cher-Crystal Hewitt-De Lisle was recently shortlisted as one of the Rising Stars this year for Estates Gazette, a news source for the commercial real estate industry.
Second-year student Cher-Crystal, commonly known as Crystal, has been a Chartered Surveyor Apprentice for two years in the Residential Investment team at Allsop LLP, an independent property consultancy in the UK. She has been a crucial member of the team, successfully providing new ideas for the firm. She arranged the first real estate National Apprenticeship Week event to foster networking opportunities crucial for industry connections and to bridge the gap between apprentices across property firms. She has also mentored young adults through initiatives like Pathways to Property where she helped her mentee at the time to improve her real-world experience of the industry. Crystal has additionally volunteered at Open Days for 'Property Needs You' so that new joiners have resources that she did not have when she initially joined.
Crystal is also active in promoting diversity and inclusion, sharing her experiences as a young Black female in the property industry through various presentations and talks. Her most recent one was at the University of Westminster to Professional Employers introducing Apprenticeships to them and Becoming an Ambassador for The Black Apprentice Network. Through this, she brought diversity of thought and is actively being a change maker to make a difference.
Crystal has been shortlisted among eight other Rising Stars. This Award recognises people who are driving change, delivering excellence and being the perfect set of cover models for a new property industry. The winner will be announced on 21 November at the 20th edition of the EG Awards taking place at Old Billingsgate, London.
Dr Jan Wilcox, Senior Lecturer of the Real Estate BSc Honours course at Westminster Business School and Director of Employability at the School of Applied Management, said: “Crystal has been an exemplary student from the start. She is never one to hold back from giving her views and freely offers both constructive criticism and praise of various aspects of the education we provide. Her constructive criticism has resulted in a couple of positive changes in the way we deliver teaching and learning. This collaborative process has made our offer more efficient and effective for all. Crystal is always enthusiastic about getting involved with extra-curricular activities that are offered and also agreed to help me deliver a presentation on apprenticeships in her own time.
"Personally, I think Crystal is exactly the sort of person that should be winning the EG's Rising Star Award; I have no doubt that she has a highly successful career ahead of her.”
Crystal said: “To me, real estate represents stability and safety, offering a sense of grounding even when other aspects of life may be uncertain. Recognising the profound impact property has on our daily lives, I am proud to be part of this dynamic industry.”
Crystal’s efforts recognised by the nomination directly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about the Construction, Surveying and Real Estate courses at the University of Westminster.
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