As a UQ final year Communication student and a participant in the UQ Employability Award, I have gained a great deal of personal and professional experiences.
One of the greatest highlights from completing the Employability Award program was being a TED translator. Since May 2017, I had subtitled for more than 100 wonderful TED Talks from English into Chinese (Simplified or Traditional). In 2018, I was selected as a Translator delegate, representing my language community and got to attend TED2018 in Vancouver, Canada. TED2018 was a life-changing experience and it was the most intellectually stimulating and satisfying event that I have ever been to. This experience enhanced my social networking skills, translation skills and most importantly it made me believe in the greatest potentials of ourselves.
I believe my experiences in intercultural settings, TED Team, my internship, and in all kinds of events as a volunteer will be directly applicable to my future endeavours. For instance, I participated in UQ short-term experience and studied at Waseda University. Studying in Japan was a rewarding experience for me. I learnt to adapt to a different culture and improve Japanese language and communication skills. The experience not only developed my resilience, independence, problem solving skills. But also enhanced my understanding of other cultures and it is my hope that I will continue to study Japanese and volunteer at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
I think that all the skills I have developed in order to complete this award will be helpful to make me unique and compatible in my future endeavours.
You will never regret getting involved in this program. By participating in the Employability Award, I found a better self. I follow the belief that, as our life is happening right now, you need to live as hard as you can. So please just give it a go - this program definitely will make your university life remarkable.