“When you learn and do something you love, the best things will follow” : A Graduation Speech by Mereditha

One of our students, Mereditha Dyah Kristianti was trusted to deliver the  graduation speech on Binus graduation ceremony on July 30, 2015. Out of 3.000 graduates, Mereditha was elected because of her Summa Cum Laude graduation status( a GPA of 3.99). Her speech talked of  her personal reflection on life and love  toward English department and Binus University , as it also expressed hope and  optimism  for the future.

Here is the full script of the speech:

Good morning, Rector, Deputy Rector, The Academic Senate, The Deans, Lecturers, respectable Faculty members, friends and family, and fellow members of Binusian 2015. I have one thing to say before I start my speech: Congratulations! We all have finally made it.

I am very lucky and honored to have been given the chance to express my love and gratitude for Binus University, which had been my home in the past 3,5 years. I am dared to say that Binus has changed my life in so many aspects.

Now, I am really sorry in advance but you will be stuck with me in the next five minutes. I never knew that my reward for being a hard-worker during my study is to finally stand here and give a little speech – I always think that it is not something I am really good at. However, I promise that I will try my best.

I stand here before you to say four important words: I loved it here.

I loved it here. I loved it here. I like my university years so much that I almost did not want to leave it. One reason I was, and still am, happy here is because I followed my intuition and passion.

Let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about how important it is to trust yourself and believe in your intuition.

Before I went to Binus, I was a very confused person. I did not know where to go or what to do with my life. I took the wrong major for a year and a half. Back then, I thought I got everything figured out, but guess what, I was wrong.

I once thought that you could just “go with the flow” in life. Your path has been prepared and all you have to do is to live it and follow it. But that was the biggest mistake I made in my life. I never really thought about what I wanted to do because I believed I would just figure it out along the way. I was wrong, and I learned it the hard way.

And it was my turning point. I was lucky enough to have two amazing parents who supported me both morally and financially. They gave me the chance to be responsible for my own decision, because at the end of the day, it is my life that I am living in. They let me choose to finally do what I really like. It took me sometime to decide what I was going to do next. When I decided to take English Literature in Binus, my life changed forever. And I never looked back.

Why? Because I decided to follow my intuition, my passion, and my love for language and everything seemed to finally fall into place. I finally love what I learned and I was also lucky to be given so many opportunities to grow. This is why following your intuition is important.

So, thank you Binus for the most amazing 3.5 years of my life. Aside from the fact that I love what I was studying, Binus gave me the best support through every aspect possible. I had the most convenient study environment, the best lecturers, amazing set of subjects, and not to mention amazing friends as well. It is wonderful to be surrounded by the nicest environment and the most inspiring people while following your passion at the same time.

End of Part 1