President's Message - December 2018

As festivities approach towards the end of the year, looking back it must be acknowledged that our committee has achieved monumental highs. The proceedings all began with our Annual Academic Breakfast that was well received by both senior academics and honorary members. Moving into Semester 2, the presence of our stall at Welcome Back week engaged students to win a variety of prizes such as Hot Chocolate and similar vouchers. Numerous neighbouring stalls commented positively on our presentation and know-how about the great activities that our Golden Key Chapter were assisting with in the community. In quick succession, it was onto our Hot Chocolate networking event giving those lucky few to redeem their prizes and to connect with members over hot chocolate and churros.

In August, the committee learnt valuable and collaborative skills in the Leadership Training Session where they met other GK committees from other universities such as ACU, RMIT, La Trobe University and Victoria University. Following on from this, an amazing Intellectual Engagement Event was held in September. The CEO of Seven Women, Stephanie Woollard, was in attendance sharing her story of empowering those in vulnerable situations in Nepal and a documentary of the thriving group was screened. The Victorian Career Connector was hosted in November at Swinburne University of Technology where students had the opportunities to speak to prospective employers, learn about their companies and employers were able to address career related opportunities amongst Golden Key members.

In December, our chapter continued on with committing to Operation Christmas Child as introduced from previous chapters, where GK members volunteered to pack shoeboxes full of goodies like toys, hygienic products and clothing for kids in need. Each year the boxes are sent to various countries, this year they are being sent to the Philippines. Rounding out the year, our final event was Backpack4Kids where stationery packs were put together with essentials such as books, pens, pencils, rulers, notebooks and erasers for disadvantaged Victorian kids to support their education.

What a wonderful year to reflect upon with lots of engagement with students, academia, organisations and the neighbouring community. We thank you all who were able to support our Golden Key chapter by participating in our activities. We wish all our GK members a very happy and safe Christmas and we will see you in the New Year!

Here are a couple of messages for you to take away with 2018 coming to a close,

“Life in the slow lane, let’s you digest, think and understand what’s most important, more importantly it allows us the time to think and act accordingly”

“Success is to be shared, as on any journey nothing is achieved on your own”

“As holidays are just around the corner, let’s disconnect to connect with those closest to us”

Phillip Nguyen

President – Golden Key Swinburne University of Technology Chapter