I'm incredibly honored to be selected as the NTUST Valedictorian 2019. As a valedictorian, I was given an opportunity to commence a speech on behalf of the graduating class. Growing up watching American TV series and movies, I watched so many instances about students giving a speech on a stage or podium. It became an unattainable goal for me because that's not how we do it in Indonesia. If you are a valedictorian, you will be called to the stage to get your diploma and that's about it. Besides, a valedictorian title in Indonesia is given to the student with the highest GPA. So, you don't need to apply or do anything to be a valedictorian.
I'm lucky because at NTUST, everyone can apply to join the valedictorian selection process. It was a rigorous process. An applicant must submit some documents, a rehearsal video, and join the face-to-face rehearsal training and interview as a part of the selection process. So, all the candidates are screened based on their academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and other experiences such as competitions.
When I heard the news that I was selected as the valedictorian, I was ecstatic. Finally, I can experience my childhood fantasy. I only had a couple of days to finalize my speech and it was challenging. As a non-English speaking foreigner and an international master's student, it was quite challenging to give a speech to a majority Chinese speaking audience and local bachelor's degree students that I don't share many common activities with. So, I came up with something personal that I think everyone can relate to, it is "keep learning, keep upskilling, and be bold to try".
Why did I pick this topic? Well, I've experienced a lot these past 2 years, and most of those started with "whatever, I'm gonna try and If I fail, that's okay". Just by starting and trying, I ended up winning some national and international competitions. I still have so many things to try this year and I'm going to keep trying. You should too.
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