PROPOSED GRADUATION CEREMONYSPEECH
BY CLAIRE GOH, ISLA AMBASSADOR 2015
A very good afternoon to all.
Thank you for gracing us with your presence today! My name is Claire Goh, from Singapore and currently a penultimate student at University of New South Wales, pursuing my Bachelor in Commerce.
It’s my great honour to be given this opportunity to share with you my exciting and memorable ISLA journey. There are just too many words to describe this privilege the program had impacted in my personal development.
Prior to embarking on the ISLA program, I was a Senior Cultural Mentor with the Cultural Mentoring Program at UNSW. As a mentor, I was given a platform to engage new international students with their transition into university life. When ISLA’s applications opened, I knew that this was a fantastic opportunity to reach a wider community. With the encouragement of my peers, including my program supervisor, whom I looked up to as a mentor, I took a leap of faith and submitted my application. Soon before I knew it, I found myself walking into our training venue. The atmosphere was vibrant, exciting and refreshing. I was extremely excited to meet new faces and establish cross-cultural friendships.
Aside from leaving my comfort zone to study in Sydney, joining ISLA has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. Amazing new friends from diverse background, different strengths and interest, great sharing and endless laughter had bonded us closely. I have learned so much from my newfound buddies.
The past few weeks of training has been an incredible journey, and I can proudly say that we have all been positively challenged and stretched. The trainings had allowed me to learn more about myself, my new strengths and development areas, new ways to work with others effectively. In a nutshell, the trainings guided me in strengthening trust and professionalism that helped me build on my confidence and maturity.
During our self-care training, one vital skill I learnt was to take a step back and breathe. Besides, how can one grow without being stretched?
Inevitably, ISLA has enriched my professional growth in many ways. Though many of us may already had experiences working with our International Student Office, the ISLA experiences had brought us working together on a different level.
My main takeaways which I would like to share are relationship building, be genuinely interested in others, recognise their strengths and leverage on them appropriately, prioritization, concise and clear communication, flexibility, meet deadlines and lastly, have fun.
All in all, I am sure all of our unforgettable experiences here with the ISLA program wouldn’t have been possible without our Incredible Manager Susana, Intern Monica and Emily, Placement Worker Tereza, the City of Sydney staffs and our supportive Universities. Thank you for this great opportunity and support.
Bringing us here today, uniting us and after the bonds we have made, I would like to end my speech with a quote byArnold Schwarzenegger, “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
Graduate of class 2013 and 2015, I wish you all the best on your future endeavours. Congratulations!
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