A very good afternoon to Professor Tim Wilson, Vice-Chancellor of University of Hertfordshire, Mr Graham Doxey, Deputy CEO of Laureate International Universities, President Tan Yew Sing, President of INTI Group of Colleges, Professor Dr Lee Fah Onn, Vice Chancellor of INTI-UC, Mrs Joyce Yuen, principal of INTI College Subang Jaya, representatives from the University of Hertfordshire, lecturers, parents, fellow graduates and all whom are at present.
Wow it’s amazing to be here, truly an honour for me to be here, to stand in front of everyone especially you graduates to pass my speech. I bet none of you have ever thought I’d be a valedictorian, especially on this beautiful day. Well, I’m sorry for turning the day which you all have ever dreamt of, into a nightmare with my long and windy speech which you all are about to listen to and ultimately doze off - SOON. Mind you, this is only the introduction of my speech.
Well here we are - the graduating class of 2010 , the best graduates of all time from the greatest college in Malaysia - Inti College Subang Jaya and Inti-UC. Honestly, I actually thought of how to make my speech interesting – BUT I COULDN’T THINK OF ANYTHING, went to the extent of Googling “Valedictorian Speech 101” – COULDN’T FIND ANYTHING EITHER. It feels like as though the articles or resources found on the database for assignments are invalid.
But anyhow, let’s take a walk down memory lane.
My fellow graduates,
It just seems like yesterday when all of our parents complained of how silly we were in our younger years - wetting our beds at night, not knowing how to tie our shoe laces or even wearing the left shoe in the right foot and the right shoe in the left foot.
It just seems like yesterday when all of us had high school crush, ordering roses from social clubs during Valentine’s Day, made it deliver to the classroom to the girl/guy sitting just next to us with a note saying “I like you, but I’m shy. Love, Anonymous”. What a way of replacing our beautiful names to a plain dull boring common name - Anonymous. Also the time we hope High School days would end faster and get into college as soon as possible.
It just seems like yesterday when all of the ICSJ graduates walked into the campus and thought “OHHH MAN, NOT ANOTHER HIGH SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT, WHAT A PLACE TO BE IN”, before the new building was up.
It just seems like yesterday when we last wore this robe in kindergarten at the age of 6 and here we are, wearing it again, looking exactly like Harry Porter and Company - only much cooler and less nerdy.
It’s crazy to think that 3 years of college life flew by just like that and a lot of us did not know each other back then – Nur Azhani who was much shorter back then and now 0.25 inch taller, do take note of her height when she walks up the stage later,Reshveen who was definitely much more quiet back then, but ohh my where did my quiet Reshveen go to, and the whole bunch of you whom I didn’t know back then but grew closer to me as the years went by.
My fellow graduates,
Let’s admit it, happiness, elated, joyful, euphoric was what we felt right after our final exam of the entire degree, possibly the very last exam for some of us. But let us not hide from the fact that all of us felt a pinch of sadness as we all know that this day would be the very last day of our college years.
Let us remember the highs and lows of our college life. Let us remember the better days - snickering at lecturers at the back of the class, trying to outwit the security guard who didn’t allow us to wear slippers into the campus, buttering the lecturer just to get extra marks (which it honestly didn’t work at all), completion of assignments after sleepless nights due to procrastination, instead putting the blame on Facebook. AhhhHhh! Those are the better days of our college life, but what about the least delightful moments – lecturers sending us warning letters which they claim as “love letters” (how nice of them), getting kicked out from group assignments, the anxiety before the final exam of each semester and the awaiting of results. I believe all these experiences will definitely be engraved in our hearts and minds forever.
My fellow graduate,
Throughout my entire college years, what I have enjoyed the most, apart from learning PEST, SWOT, Life Cycle, 4P’s (day in, day out! YES I “ENJOYED” THESE MOMENTS) is of course “indulging” myself in student’s activities and joining the Student Council known as INTIMA. Before I joined INTIMA, I had the perception of INTIMA is only for the famous, for the popular ones, for the crème de la crème of the college but MAN I was wrong! Any TOM, DICK AND HARRY AND EVEN SALLY could have joined INTIMA and that includes me the plain old average Joe. But as I was in INTIMA, I thought to myself, good gracious – what have I gotten myself into. The never ending meetings, staying back late after college hours for discussions, having to spend breaks in the office instead of with friends and having Mommy to constantly call me to check on me and make sure I wasn’t out having a jolly good time instead. That is the life when you’re in INTIMA.
But things have begun to change towards the end of our life in INTIMA. All of us started missing each meeting, the discussions which NEVER HAD conclusion, we missed every single event organized by clubs and societies, we missed getting to know people from different cultures and backgrounds – the international students, we even missed going into meetings with the Management and demanding for the unnecessary and will definitely miss our “brotherhood” gang (which the excos have self acclaim themselves).
The fondest memory which I had in INTIMA was organizing the Conference whereby Excos from other INTIMA under Inti Group came together to discuss the operations, problems and collectively discussed solutions to overcome these problems. From there we bonded with each other. We used to see Metropolitan’s Student Council as an enemy – NOT ANYMORE. We even had road trips with Inti-UC to Penang to visit Inti-Penang and sure we had loads of fun. Just to brag a little, during paintball, ICSJ whooped Inti-UC’s Exco although outnumbered and with zero casualties on our side.
But beneath this joy and fun experience, we have learnt that as an Exco, we carry the motto of “service above self” by fighting for the welfare and the rights of the students although most of you don’t see it as that way sometimes. We have learnt the importance of friendship and how friendship makes the team moves forward. Most importantly, we have learnt that teamwork is the fundamental and that everyone is a leader in a team and that no one is lesser than the other. It does not mean that the higher position you hold, it means you’re more powerful than the rest - that would be the wrong perception. I have to admit that I would definitely miss all these bittersweet experience which I have obtained during my tenure in INTIMA. By the way, a little marketing here, ICSJ would be having IntiBall on July 8, in Sunway Hotel, please be there okay.
Okay now enough of the drama, I’m going to move on to my thank you list, so listen out for your names because I know you want to be acknowledged by me
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me to first and foremost thank God for all the blessings which He has showered upon you and I and I believe that without His abundance and blessings, none of this would have happened today, especially to me, standing here as your valedictorian for today. I continue to pray that His blessings may shower upon each and every one of you in whatever you do and in your future undertakings. I truly believe that prayers are often heard and answered so “~Don’t stop believing!”…
On a personal note, I also like to thank my family who has been my backbone my entire life. To my dearest Mommy, thank you for the wonderful words of wisdom all this years and for the prayers. I have never doubted in a mother’s prayer. Also Mommy, I’d like to thank you for the endless nagging which you have given me, pulling my ears many a times just so I would get my lazy butt to start off my assignments and me to start studying for my finals. To Pa, my handsome old man – Thank you for buying back snacks for me to chew on during late nights whilst studying, and also thank you for the words of wisdom of which sounds like this “My handsome son, study hard, so in future you could get me a Chelsea jersey and cable TV for me to watch football”. My dear parents, thank you for turning me into an independent and a strong willed young man. To my darling sister Grace, thank you for setting such high benchmark in the family so much so I see you as my competitor and thrive to push myself, also thank you for the advice when it comes to studies, work and also in getting girls. To Joshua, thank you for the distraction at home and using you as an excuse so I could go to college to study instead. All in all, thank you for the support and guidance which you have given me and I pray that this day would be the day I make you proud.
Not forgetting Nur Azhani’s family,
To Ma, Pa, Busu and Kak Syaz thank you for the words of encouragement whenever I started having doubts in myself. Also thank you for making me delicious food whenever I go over. I am very lucky to self-acclaim myself as your adopted son.
Yes, the lecturers, you’re definitely not forgotten. Thank you so so so so very much – FOR NOT GIVING UP ON US. Also thank you for giving us constant guidance with your unending patience in bringing out the best in us. Thank you for the coaxing and the knowledge which you have imparted. To Ms. Sothees, my Economics lecturer, I now realize that it is okay to contribute to the unemployment rate, just as long as we know that we fall in the 4% category, to some lecturers who threatened us that if we do not speak English in class, Hertfordshire would fail us. I’d also like to thank my final year lecturers, Mr. Dennis - for making marketing class interesting, Ms. Kannaki – teaching us the loopholes to avoid being dismissed or terminated in Industrial Relation, Ms. Catherine – providing funny examples which made us understand better for International Marketing and Mr. Neo – for going through case study after case study with us which made us realize that some strategies are not so strategic after all in Strategy Management class. Not forgetting Ms. Fauziah and Ms. Sharifah who took place as our Mamas in college.
To the Management of Inti and UH,
Thank you for the wholesome education which you have provided us throughout our college years. Thank you for providing us a conducive learning environment that has helped us shaped our minds and enhanced our college experience. U.H representatives, thank you for checking on us every semester if we’re okay with our modules and whether the library has sufficient books. And to the admin staff of Inti who has been there for us all the while in ensuring a smooth studying process. To the Management of ICSJ, it is like a warzone to us EXCO, going for meetings every semester to request and demand for things which students have requested example, increasing the speed of the internet connection when it is already fast enough. On behalf of them, I’d like to thank you for letting us win all the time by accommodating to our request. Thank you.
To my dear friends,
No, you’re definitely not forgotten. Nur Azhani, Reshveen and I-Lynn, thank you for being the best groupmates I ever had although there were a lot of clash of opinions, yet we did it, not forgetting – thank you for the neat in-text citation and Harvard Referencing which earned us extra marks. To Jennifer, Nicole and Wendy, thank you for saving me when I had to find for another group due to some conflict in our class. And yes, to my darling Maldivian friend, Nada, thank you for teaching me the Maldivian culture and also the Maldivian dance. All in all, to all whom I know, the joy the laughter, the sadness that we share, these would be the memories which I will truly cherish forever. As quoted by the great Muhammad Ali – “Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything”.
Lastly, to HOPE Foundation and to Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, thank you so much for subsidizing a huge lump sum of my college fee and to give me hope in joining the private institution after failing to secure a place in local universities.
My fellow graduates,
I believe it is customary for a valedictorian to give a substantial amount of inspiring and thought provoking words – I’m not sure if I’m the right person to come to. But anyhow, I’d just like to share this with you, when I entered the British American Tobacco Student Competition, I had doubts in winning the competition but I told myself that since I was already in it, why not give it the best shot, keeping a positive mind and attitude, I sure did win the competition. What I’m trying to imply here is that if you know your capabilities, go for it, on one condition – NEVER EVER DOUBT YOURSELF. Once you start doubting in yourself that is when you start to believe that the possible would be the impossible. As quoted by the great Mahatma Gandhi, Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning”.Just remember that what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. We may fall but we rise again learning what failed us and continue improving ourselves. As for today, I know and I see that everyone believed in themselves and that’s why we're all here today!
My fellow graduates,
We have come a long way, a path filled with memories and many more to come in our future endeavours. But this is THE DAY, THIS IS OUR DAY. As the saying in the Bible goes “I have fought the good fight and I have won the race”, this is the day you graduates have been fighting for, this is the day you graduates have won the race!
Remember all the while, you make the best of your own life. An excerpt from a poem by William Shakespeare reads: “All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players” which also mean our life is like a stage, you are your very own cast, the story depends on yourself.
With that being said, here’s to us, the future CEO of Laureate International Universities, CEO of Krispy Kreme, McDonalds and Wall-Mart, I bid you congratulations and all the best. Thank you.
Have you guessed it already?
