1. Your proudest achievement
My proudest achievement is receiving 6 As and 1 B for my Advanced Level Examinations. I spent 2 years in my Junior College preparing for the Cambridge Examination Syllabus. It was really challenging to juggle the rather heavy academic workload with extracurricular and community involvement activities. Furthermore, I experienced difficulty with Biology, as it involved a lot of memory work and application, which was not particularly my forte. However, with the help of my excellent form teacher who went above and beyond her duty to provide us with the best resources to excel in the Biology, and ensure our general wellbeing amidst the skyrocketing stress levels, I managed to score an A in my worst subject. My good grades helped me to gain Direct Entry Status into the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. In retrospect, the number of As on my results transcript do not really matter as they were a means to the end of getting into my desired university. However, the effort and persistence it took for me to attain my desired results reaffirmed my confidence in my abilities. Achieving this, despite facing several setbacks, reminded me of the potential I have to excel in whatever I put forth my efforts and energy to.
2. What you have learned about yourself in class (Comm 299)
Some of the exceedingly important skills I have gained from Comm 299 are self-branding and presentation skills, interview skills and overall, a better sense of my future role in the business sphere. Self-branding and presentation skills come into play when I had to work on my resume and select the most relevant experience. I had to think unconventionally about how I could present myself in a way that makes me stand out from the rest, yet stick to a solid tried-and-tested format. With the mentoring of my TA, I was able to more strategically position myself as a self-motivated Business student. I also learned a lot more about professionalism – how to present myself as a credible, professional individual. As for interview skills, I was daunted by how to perform well in the interview, but after conducting intensive practice with a friend, excelled during the interview. I learnt that I need to focus more on my nonverbal communication skills, as I tend to lose eye contact with the interviewer while I formulate an appropriate response to the question posed. Most importantly, I have a better idea of the kind of business environment, culture and career I am looking to go into in the future. The lectures provide informative and abundant resources and opportunities that really equip me with the knowledge and experience that I need to excel in the corporate world.
The person I look up to most: