It replenished my vision for my future. Firm visit to Dress for Success was the most invaluable lesson for
me. As an Information Management
student, I foresaw myself working in a typical company providing database
solutions and maintenance support.
However, our meeting with Kimberley, the executive director of Dress for Success, gave me new thoughts. Kimberley is committed to working for NPOs
that serve the underprivileged. Yet to
my surprise, she also learnt database before she started working.
Remark: Bonita demonstrated good improvement
in her intercultural competency upon return. She scored over 22 points higher
in her post-programme IDI test, moving from a Polarisation orientation towards
an Minimisation orientation within 5-week time.
I have always wanted to serve the community but did not realise
how a business graduate could fit into these organisations that appear to be
looking for students specialised in the School of Humanities. I learnt from Kimberley that even if an organisation
does not announce its recruitment for someone with a data management
background, it mostly needs someone to do the job. Thus, I should take the
initiative to reach out to the organisation and ask for an opportunity, instead
of being passive, if this is what I want to pursue.
Her advice replenished my vision for my future. She introduced a
new path to me that would enable me to incorporate my knowledge with my
interest to serve the community, something I had never thought of before. This new finding made me more motivated and
ambitious in preparing myself at school for I have found a direction that is
clear and workable, which I am passionate about.
I redefined leadership, and learned how to become a women leader. We had
many discussions around the topic “women’s leadership” from different
perspectives, including how to address conflict, to be mindful, to be diverse
and so on. I learned that when we encounter conflicts or problems, the most
significant thing is to speak out what you think inside to enable others to
understand your genuine desire so that a dispute can be addressed well. This,
however, sounds very challenging to me because I was the type of people who is
very afraid of speaking out in public. Fortunately, our teacher’s positive
attitude towards our sharing had encouraged me to speak more and became dare to
speak out. This experience made me realise that what matters is not what you
have said, but whether you dare to speak out your real thoughts. This programme
builds my self-confidence and courage to speak out in public.
Success is not a linear path. In Chinese society, we believe in absolute power and win so much that
we often ignore life. Nonetheless, success should never be a straight or linear
path. Without failure, we would not know success. I hope educators and parents would
realise this and stop pushing the next generation to become what they failed to
be. Victory ought to be redefined.
To all future SA participants, I believe you will find Wellesley
College a fantastic place to study and the Contemporary Women’s Leadership
program fruitful. In Wellesley, you will not only meet new friends and
successful leaders, but you will also grow to become a more confident and
self-aware person. You will find your voice here. And you will have an
unforgettable experience of a lifetime.
Somethings are bigger than banking.
As I am BBA student, I used to consider profit-making as the most important thing, and I should prioritise it upon my graduation. Nevertheless, the experience at Wellesley College has changed my vision to engage in more voluntary work rather than merely making money.
While I was preparing my vision board in a class activity, the quote “Somethings are bigger than banking” triggered my memory of a conversation with the director of Dress for Success. She revealed that she is paid much less than what she usually earns by working in the commercial. However, she thought that helping other women remove their job barriers is more meaningful, and this is what she should do. Her sharing inspired me to reflect the true meaning of my life. Not only is earning money my responsibility in the future but also trying my best to empower other women to achieve success in the workplace or even leadership. I discovered my motivation for engaging in more voluntary work in the future, especially those relating to helping women at all levels.
Engage more, gain more.
I highly recommend my fellow schoolmates to join the Contemporary Women’s Leadership programme. You will find all Wellesley teachers, staff and classmates respect your opinion and focus on you. You will experience a different culture, connect with successful women who care about your future success, build self-confidence and have your horizons broadened.
Engage more, gain more. If you do not participate, you will get tiny.
The experiential week was beneficial and thought-provoking.
I learned about networking, a path towards success, women in male-dominated fields, female entrepreneurs, golfing and branding. The classes we took in the first few weeks were equally insightful and prepared our minds to become more aware of specific issues around women and gender.
My biggest takeaway is understanding the importance of networking. I used to consider networking painful, and I still do not enjoy attending networking events. But in a safe environment like Wellesley, we were encouraged to speak up and ask questions. There are never such things as stupid questions, annoying students or unworthy discussions. I was confident here to talk about my ideas and ask questions. That environment allowed me to open up myself and practice my networking skills more comfortably. Networking is essential in our life, whether for pursuing a business or other things. Life is about the association with others. No man is an island. Networking is like knowledge, which I highly value. Sometimes, you need to gain it by making an effort, stepping outside your comfort zone. You never know when you are going to use it. But it will save you when needs arise. I now realise that networking can be fun. It is a privilege to meet so many amazing people who bring positivity and empower women.
What is your goal of studying abroad?
In my opinion, what you can learn and get depends on your plan while overseas. I expected far more than travelling from my SA experience. The reason why I chose Wellesley College as my SA destination was because of its unique theme – Contemporary Women’s Leadership.
I hoped to earn more than the knowledge taught in classes, and the programme did not let me down. Although the courses it offered were not related to our major (even not business-related), they were exciting and had significantly broadened our horizons with global issues and the American culture. I consider the workshop about personal strength the best. It provided 2 tests to analyse our personalities as well as strengths and taught us how to succeed with such powers. It was efficient and beneficial to our personal growth and future career. Apart from that, it offered us many opportunities to meet with successful women leaders, making it outstanding among all SA offerings. All the leaders we met were friendly. They gave us their contacts so that we could keep in touch with them or even invite them to be our mentor. I highly appreciate the degree of care Wellesley offered us. Besides assigning student mentors to us, program leaders would also chat on our experience over lunch. There were free activities that we could join during the weekends.
In a nutshell, for students who wish for a more valuable experience and more remarkable personal growth, SA-Wellesley is your first choice!
You will experience almost everything that a student could experience in a semester exchange, intensively.
These five weeks have been invaluable and memorable to me. I would recommend SA-Wellesley to those who love to experience studying overseas but do not have a chance to join semester exchange. As the courses are very intensive, and classroom discussions are mainly based on the assigned readings, participants should expect to have a lot of readings to finish before each lesson. Studying abroad is not about pure relaxation, and you need to to pay effort. Wellesley College is a prestigious school, and its students are highly intelligent and eloquent. Being well-prepared for classes is the key to succeed and impress your classmates and teachers.
