Southampton top graduate shares inspiring messages

UNIVERSITY of Southampton Malaysia Campus graduate, Jeremy Fong gave an inspirational talk to parents and students during the university’s Open Day last 20 August.

Iskandar Puteri, Johor, August 22, 2016 –University open days can be a mundane affair.

But not for those lucky enough to listen to Jeremy Fong, whose delivery of his presentation at University of Southampton Malaysia Campus’ Open Day inspired many to pursue their dreams.

Just a few months before graduation, Jeremy secured a graduate job opportunity with Rolls-Royce, a leading aeroengine manufacturing company.

Securing the dream job was not an easy feat, he had to undergo a battery of tests and interviews before Rolls-Royce could finally decide which among the shortlisted they will pick as their new controls engineer at their Birmingham office in the UK.

In a conversation with Jeremy, who earned a MEng in Engineering Aerospace from Southampton, he shared his views on how a turn-down situation can be a positive experience, and how he was just like any ordinary student before attending university.

‘’When I was in high school I often skip classes to go to Internet cafés but luckily I did rather well for SPM because I attended tuition classes,’’ he admits.

‘Initially, I applied to NTU (Nanyang Technological University) after finishing my A levels but sadly I got rejected so I’m not going to lie, Southampton was my university of second choice but it was one of the best decisions I ever made,’’ reflects Jeremy.

As he reflected on his academic experience at Southampton, some themes became apparent – taking responsibility for your own learning and development, building good relationships with teaching staff and friends, and learning to manage time and setting priorities.

‘’My first year in university was an adjustment period. I realised that university is not school. There would be no more spoon feeding of knowledge.’’

From then on, Jeremy started taking responsibility for his own learning – learning materials beyond the formal curriculum as well as developing an independent critic of the material and content.

‘’Academics cannot make students do these things. At best, they can provide the knowledge base to stimulate students’ critical thinking, they can inspire intellectual risk taking, and encourage independent research. However ultimately the effort, motivation and interest come from students themselves.’’