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Meet our student guest speakers
Lily Kanthida Ongarjsiri
Bachelor of Arts and Psychology Kanthida Ongarjsiri | LinkedIn
Sometimes giving up on opportunities can be just as hard as finding them. With the Employability Award program, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by a plethora of available resources and opportunities. While one might assume that making the best out of the program implies doing as much as you can, the underrated way to make the best use of it is to choose opportunities that craft a unique narrative of yourself. So how do we balance being strategic and adventurous when choosing which opportunity to take? Join Kanthida as she reflects on the opportunities that mattered most in her Employability Award journey and explore how you want to curate your own.
Joshua Pooranakaran
UQ BEL Valedictorian | Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy&Economics (Honours) Joshua H Pooranakaran | LinkedIn
Instead of choosing between university, full-time work, tutoring at UQ, two internships, 100+ volunteer hours, and three new licences, Joshua said yes to all of it, at once, on the belief that you're never freer than you are right now. Come hear why "is this worth it" is the wrong question to ask at 20, and the one thing he's optimising his twenties for instead of a tidy CV.
Doreen Chiang
Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) Doreen Chiang | LinkedIn
What makes an opportunity matter? I often thought about this in high school when deciding on what I wanted to study at university. Recently, I’ve been thinking about this a lot more as I’ve been prioritising career opportunities to invest my limited free time in. We are all influenced by so many personal biases, aspirations, and societal expectations, amongst others, which can cloud our awareness of the opportunities that feel uniquely impactful and meaningful for each of us. Learning what you truly value and how to let go of what feels superficial and inauthentic is arguably one of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of self-discovery available to us - because this process clarifies what makes life meaningful and ultimately what brings us the most long-lasting sense of satisfaction in our careers and beyond. I’m looking forward to connecting with you and discussing how to find your values so you feel empowered to choose opportunities that profoundly matter to you!
Arnav Negi
Master of Computer Science (Management) Arnav Negi | LinkedIn
Choose the room, not the seat: Partway through my masters, I was offered the presidency of one student society and an entry-level officer role at another. With a full-time study load, I could only take one. I chose the smaller title. I'll share how I made that call, what it cost me, and why I've come to think "who do I want to be useful to?" is a better question than "what will look best on my CV." If you're currently weighing up more opportunities than you have hours for, this one's for you
