Alumni Sharing: NTU Inclusion Advocates
It was a pleasure to be invited back to my alma mater, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, to speak at the university’s inclusion design workshop. I shared my career journey as a banker as well as the co-founder of Uncommon Minds. Also there was Kai Emmanuel Kuah, one of our Uncommon Ambassadors (watch out for his story soon!), as well as Rick, a fellow alumnus.
I went away feeling energised and hopeful, seeing how some of our young student leaders are so keen to help contribute towards making our society a more equitable and inclusive place. It was also great to hear from the NTU Student Affairs Office about some of the accommodative practices it now provides, which was unheard of during my time at the university (decades ago, to be fair).
Some takeaways from our session tonight:
Be accepting of the neurodiverse, there is no need for sympathy. Neurodiverse individuals just think differently. Being different does not mean being less.
Pause and think about your purpose. Don’t lose yourself and get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. Giving contributes more to your own happiness level than you may think.
There is no better time than now to contribute! Depending on your time commitment there is always something you can do.
Take small steps if unsure. Start by sharing stories from Uncommon Minds with your friends and family to spread awareness. Better still, sign up as an Uncommon Ambassador or help us write up an article or two!
Thank you to Aikes Loh and Jun Searle from the Inclusion & Integration Unit for organising this lovely session!
Till next time,
PT