Koon and Amin - I salute the both of you!

Souvenir from USA - courtesy of Koon

I was invited to a presentation of a student whom I have helped to ensure his application to participate in his university's outbound student exchange programme was approved to the USA on Thursday, February 24 2011. That happened three years ago, when I was then the officer-in-charge of student exchange programme at the international office. I was very strict with the students who came to see me when they were applying to participate in the outbound student exchange programme. Yes, to the extent some students were extremely scared of me and/or hated me for behaving this way.

I have my reasons for doing so, and the main reason was that I wanted the best for students who had walked into my office stating their intention to want to participate in the university's outbound student exchange programme. They were requested to do the required "homework" first, as I don't believe in spoonfeeding these students. Many students were dumbfounded, as they had expected me to lay out all the information for them to just breeze through the application. All I wanted was for the students to learn to be independent learners.

Tough luck for the students who were expected to be spoonfed. However, there were two students who had made my life so much easier when they came to see me about the application to participate in the outbound student exchange programme. These two students actually did all the "homework" required of them and they managed to get the approval from the university for them to realise their aims to be part of the outbound student exchange programme. One went to USA, Iowa State University to be exact, and the other did his internship (as per his study requirement) in Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in the UK.

Not forgetting my then clerical staff who did the mountainous paperwork and my then boss' personal assistant who did all the negotiations with the relevant DVC's office for the approval. Without these two dedicated people, it would have been a futile task to have been undertaken. The seemingly impossible mammoth task was being tackled as a cohesive team, the two students included.

After what seemed to be endless frustration running into dead ends, the students finally got the nod to go and they really made the most out of their times there. And they return with the kind positive outlook in which I could find no words to describe. They are young adults brimming with overflowing confidence, ready to take the world as if it were the horns of a very aggressive bull. Where their career paths are concerned, from what I could gather, these two students will be going for the moon and beyond to reach the goals they have set for themselves.

I take pride and I also feel extremely happy in seeing that they have done really well, thus far, and they should be able to make it in their respective lives in an excellent manner. Thus, to Koon and Amin well done, and keep up the excellent work and for putting up with me during those trying times. I just wanted the best for you two, and am sooo ecstatic you have what it takes to be great leaders in the future.     



Souvenir from Royal Botanic
Gardens Kew - courtesy of Amin