WKWSCI Class of 2010

What is the Problem?

WKWSCI will be having its Convocation Ceremony combined with ADM. However a directive from the President of NTU states that there can only be one Valedictorian Speaker for each Ceremony. ADM will have its Valedictorian Speaker which means we from WKWSCI will have no representative to speak of. It would be nice that the ADM cohort will be sending their representative but as students from WKWSCI, our experiences will be vastly different and we may not be able to relate as well to their Valedictorian speech.

From what have been going around, Dr. D and the faculty of WKWSCI have tried to get ourselves our Valedictorian Speech and we should definitely acknowledge their efforts and thank them for it. But since the efforts of even our Chair cannot convince the university, then it is up to us to let the university know that the Valedictorian Speech is important to us.

Why is it Important?

A valedictorian is very significant. He/she represents the entire class of students as the most promising and brightest amongst the entire cohort. He/she will carry and represent the culmination of all the good that we have created and shared in our 4 years here in WKWSCI, and also the passion, drive and ambitions we have for the future. As of now, 5 students have been nominated and one of them will represent our Class as valedictorian.

The valedictorian speech is a great tradition to sum not only our 4 years of education here in NTU but also our long journey of formal education. After 4 years, NTU cannot expect us to have nothing to say – to just sit and listen to others speak of their experience. Our education here would have failed, if we have not grown to become men and women of convictions. How good then is an education, if we have no passion, drive and imagination?

Fortunately, that is not the case. To have my valedictorian speak in front of my peers and myself during our convocation will be the perfect end to our education journey here – a celebration for all the great teachers in our lives, who have given us the greatest gift of wisdom and truth, and our fellow peers, friends who walked with us hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder in this long but meaningful journey.

The valedictorian speech by our very own valedictorian is thus of utmost importance and significance to the graduating students. His/her speech will contain all the sentiments, achievements, history and memories of the entire class as a whole. This speech is thus unique and irreplaceable by any other than our own.


What We Can Do?

There is still a good estimate of 2 months to go before Convocation. We should seek and clarify our position with the university. The valedictorian speech is a privilege, not a right. It is, however, a privilege that we should feel strongly for. The University definitely has its valid reasons (I hope) for allowing only one valedictorian for one ceremony, but if we feel strongly for this issue, we should let the University knows that we want a nice and meaningful farewell to the school that has groomed us to become men and women of tomorrow, ready to face the world with all our dreams.

We should take a matured and rational approach to this matter. Most of the time, conflicts arise because of misunderstanding and miscommunication. This is one area we should avoid. We need to tell the University not only what we feel, but also that we want to solve the problem together. We are not here to demand for our wants, only to neglect what may be the pressing issues, the bigger picture that the University may be facing. We need to show the University that we can respond and give feedback and support that can help the university formulate alternatives to this issue. The University’s problems are also valid to the students.

We can use this Facebook group to communicate with all the students of WKWSCI Class of 2010, so that we hear everybody’s views. Those who feel strongly for the issue, and those who may feel that it is a privilege we can do without.

Everybody’s views matter. Only when we have a general feedback from the Class of 2010 can we then let the university knows our stand and what we feel. Only then can we give a proper feedback to the university and see how things can work out.

I want to have a happy and memorable convocation with everyone, so lets work things out positively together!

Join the Facebook Group now to make your stand!