Today is a BIG day. As of 10:50AM April 20, 2020, I have completed my last final exam and officially graduated from university. A journey that started in 2013 at the University of Alberta Biological Program has now 7 years later turned into a Business Administration Management Degree. 7 years of hard work, many hardships, and long sleepless nights have finally led to this moment of triumph. Though the ending wasn't as I originally expected, wearing my gown and walking across the stage.
Because of COVID 19 virus, all ceremonies and celebrations consisting of 10 or more people have been cancelled. Everyone has to stay 2m apart from year other and social distance or isolate themselves. Classes have been entirely cancelled and everything completed online. Class grades are now pass, fail, or honors. Many people have been laid off and many new graduates jobless. It is a bitter sweet moment for me. Partially I am relieved to finally reach the finish line but I also fear the potential repetitive, lonely, mundane lifestyle I am soon to encounter. The hours spent doing homework, volunteering, attending social events will now be empty slots. What was once such a busy lifestyle, constantly on the go has now suddenly come to a stop. As an extrovert, my greatest fear is boredom. Having little in the ways of distractions, it is difficult for me to come to terms with the new lifestyle I am to transition into. I will also have to consider returning to living with my parents. I lived away from home during my 6th and 7th year of university because of the 1.5hr commute it took to get to school in the morning and partially to gain some independence, away from my parents. Now that I have no reason to stay, having to transition back to a lifestyle where I am constantly under the watchful supervision of my parents was not a super appealing thought. I would also miss my two roommates, to which I have grown incredibly close to during my stay, very dearly. Because of COVID 19, Edmonton's economy has come to a standstill. Employers are laying off a majority of workers, stores are closing down, and job prospects are difficult to come-by. Staff are asked to work remotely from home while health officials battle the virus threat. But in times like these, I am glad I have my faith to lean into. Though situations are grim right now, I know God will open doors when least expected. I am looking forward to what God has in store for me in this new chapter of my life. Thank you so much to the love and support of all my friends and family for their unwavering help these past few years. Special shout out to Miya Villarena for always being there for me whenever I needed a shoulder to cry on or to vent. Shay Whelton for being one of the best friends and classmates ever. I wouldn't have been able to get through my classes without you. To Phillip Sun who has been a great support to me when times were rough. To Bessie Yang who from the first day of uni orientation till now has remained long and faithful. To Kristen Irwin who always cheered me up and always happily invited me over to stay. To Winston (William) who always was willing to spend time with me and taught me how to play cards. To my roommates Sara Lipp and Elizabeth Faerber who have taught me so much about living on my own and how to look after myself. Edith Faerber for your great hospitality and abundant grace while renting a room in your home. You have such a big heart. Thank you Janelle Fries and Jessica Wentland for all the fun shopping trips, sleepovers, and being my hair and make-up connoisseurs, making sure I look my absolute best for every event. To Mom, Dad, and Jassy, I could never could have gotten through without you. Thanks for all the little things that you do even though I'm not always the easiest person to deal with. To my church family both at UofA (P2C, Navigators) and off campus (McKernan Baptist Church, and EFC) for all the prayers and times of fellowship. This list honestly could honestly be endless and I know I have missed tons of people. There are so many people to which I am extremely thankful for who have made this journey possible and made a huge impact of my life.
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Say hi to my Capstone Team, Spider or AKA MMA Capstone Team. My team members are 4th year Alyson Howey from management, and 4th year Kina Lin from accounting. We have been working tirelessly for two entire semesters with Junior Achievement (JA), Enactus Pivot, and DMIT to research non-profit (NGO) industries and how they succeed, areas of financial revenue, created marketing material for them, and developed an internal database involving students, staff, and volunteers.
JA is an organization that gives jr high and high school students the opportunity to create their own businesses from scratch with a team, sell a product, earn potential revenue, as well as close the business. They offer both a competitive and non-competitive stream that students can participate in. It has definitely been a bumpy road. It took us initially 3 weeks before our project was fully defined because we were the first team to take on this project. JA was also going through a lot of internal organizational changes which made it difficult to contact them, there were also a lot of problems and narrowing the scope of the project proved challenging. However, our team persevered. We were able to set up ambassadors, submit a DMIT team proposal, and ultimately provide the support they needed to successfully run the program this year. My responsibility was being the leader of the capstone team, taking charge of meetings and delegating work. I also was the Enactus Ambassador, having worked with the organization before with NextStep. I also got the opportunity to compete with them this year as a Regional Presenter for the Enactus Pivot team. More information can be seen in my previous blog. I have learned a lot from my experience. Alyson and Kina were also a joy to work with. Both are very diligent and skilled in their respective fields. Our semester has come to an end with the completion of our final report (60+ pages) and final presentation, though it was not as we expected. I will never forget the relationships and connections formed through this class. All the best in your future endeavors. |
Jane HaoHi. I'm Jane and I'm a recent graduate. I wanted to record some fun events and memories on my blog. Archives
April 2020
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