Hooi's graduation speech - A take on life after diploma
- ILT Authors
- Sep 30, 2018
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 3, 2018
SEPTEMBER 30, 2018
BY TEH KEAN HOOI
A very good morning to the Chancellor of Han Chiang University College of Communication, Tan Sri Dato Seri Tan Kok Ping, Chairman of Han Chiang Board of Directors, Dato Seri Ooi Soo Hing, Executive Dean of Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts from the University of Southern Queensland, Professor Barbara de la Harpe, Vice Chancellor of Han Chiang University College of Communication, Dr Beh Kok Hooi, other distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Kean Hooi and as you have been told, I pursued the Diploma of Mass Communication with a Journalism option. It’s an honour to be awarded with the "Best Journalism Student Award" and to be here, addressing all of you.
Indeed, this is a very special day for all of us graduands, to come up this stage and receive a recognition for the hard work and sleepless nights that we have all put in for the past two and a half years. Our communication lecturer, Mr Eric Shaun Seaton always tells us this in class - “tough times don’t last but tough people do.” Our presence in Lim Lean Teng Hall today is the testimony.
If you have heard my story before, you would know that I probably shouldn’t even be here studying a diploma. But hey, I believe things happen for a reason. I believe that we have all experienced a transformation at the end of this journey with Han Chiang because people change to adapt to the environment they live in. Thinking of the knowledge that we have acquired and the skills that we have developed, it’s with absolute certainty to conclude that this is all worth it.
I hereby represent all the students in thanking our wonderful university college and its dedicated lecturers for the seeds that they have sowed in every single one of us. You may not see the fruit now, but I’m very sure that they have created a ripple in the ocean and it’s not stopping.
Brad Henry, a former Governor of Oklahoma said, “A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instil a love of learning.” This pretty much sums up the academic staff here in HCUC. They expanded our horizon as we open up our minds to see things in a bigger picture and also in different perspectives.
Former Canadian politician Dan Miller once said, “You know, we have our differences, everybody does, honest, real differences, but I do believe strongly that we as neighbours are drawn together far more than we're driven apart.” That is true, I’ve seen countless times where all of us worked together to achieve a common goal, be it a class assignment, group project, school event or even Golden Achievement Awards (GAA). I was the student organising chairperson for GAA last year, and we managed to pull through a rough journey to showcase a successful event. That’s the beauty of teamwork. When we believe we can do it, we can indeed make it happen.
Ladies and gentlemen, can I see a show of hands to see how many of you have watched the Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump that came out in the year 1994? The movie won six Academy Awards in 1995 including Best Picture, Best Actor – Tom Hanks and so on. The main character in the film, Forrest Gump likes to say, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” Life is truly full of wonders and surprises. He is a simple folk who lives a simple life and is always contend with what life has given him. He shows us that we should not take things for granted and always be willing to share what we have with one another, especially knowledge. The more we share, the more we learn.
Traditionally, people often dictate how one should live his life but you need to know that you should live at your own pace. Finish Diploma at the age of 20, complete a Degree by 23, start a career after that and get married by 28 and be a manager by 30, yada yada… It just doesn’t work that way.
Sorry to break it to you but I think you all know by now that life is hard. No one’s journey is a smooth sail but you can count on the support from your friends and family. Don’t be mistaken by the life stories of those successful people such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Jack Ma. You can be inspired by them but remember this, you’re not them and you’ll never be them.
You are you, you’re unique. Scottish Theologian William Barclay said there are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why. Question your life’s purpose, you’re right to question it because you have to find it out for yourself. No one can make the decisions for you because you’re the one in charge of your own life.
If you have been looking at JobStreet or Facebook for any job vacancy, you would notice that the job requirement is somewhat vague and it makes you feel insecure just by reading through the posts. The truth is you would never know if you can fulfil the role until you’re given the tasks during the job. At this point of life, you probably have to prove yourself but do not spend 24/7 trying to please everyone because you can’t and you shouldn’t.
There is a saying, 能者多劳. Don’t complain when people give you something extra to do. They give you because they think that you’re capable enough of completing it. So just do it. Sometimes we complain because we feel it’s unfair but hey, life is unfair from even before we were born. Do we get the option to choose what sort of family we want to be born into?
Ladies and gentlemen, life is short. Time is relative and it doesn’t pause for any of us. My Singaporean friend, Mandy shared with me a Facebook post last week and it talks about choosing your life over your job. Since life is all about priorities and you would naturally do the things that you perceive as important, pick an option now or make compromises along the way. Canadian actress Jenn Proske urged us to love ourselves, adding that it is important to stay positive because beauty comes from the inside out. The bottom line is, if you know what you want, go pursue it because life seldom offers you a second chance.
As Master Yoda from Star Wars said, “Do or do not, there is no try.” Remember that “Everybody dies but not everybody lives.” You only live once and if you live it to the fullest, once is enough. Embrace every moment you have and make it everlasting. In everything you do, give it your best.
If you’re having any bright ideas in your head now, do take out a pen and jot it down somewhere. You will lose the thought if you don’t act on it now. Life is never going to be easy on you so always get ready to continue the battle. French writer Simone de Beauvoir said we must change our lives today and that we don't gamble on the future.
My dear comrades, our lecturers always advise us, wherever you might be, stay humble and never stop learning. 正所谓, 一山还有一山高, 强中自有强中手. When you think you’re good enough, there’s always someone who is better than you somewhere out there.
My friends, it’s almost time for me to stop my speech. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,” said former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. “Death is not the greatest loss in life”, American author Norman Cousins said. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. So keep the fire burning and may you succeed in all your endeavours. “May the odds be ever in your favour,” thank you!
Find out more about the 2018 HCUC Graduation Ceremony and also the Dato' Boey Eam Seng Golden Achievement Awards (GAA) 2018 in the news stories below:
The 8TV coverage of HCUC annual Dato' Boey Eam Seng Golden Achievement Awards that took place on the evening of Sep 29, 2018.
A walk down memory lane of my diploma life from 2016-2018:
My involvement in the UC's various projects:
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