RMIT students drive activities to boost self-awareness and social impact

RMIT students drive activities to boost self-awareness and social impact

For many RMIT alumni, engaging in student-run community activities was a highlight of their university life. Three new RMIT graduates share their story on the impacts they made and experienced outside their study schedule.

Making a positive social impact

Having graduated this year with a distinction from the Bachelor of Business (International Business) program, Tran Hoang Long spent a lot of his time at RMIT as Saigon South campus President of Enactus, a global non-profit organisation committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives. 

Tran Hoang Long (fourth from right) and the Enactus club were honoured at the Community Spotlight Awards hosted by RMIT’s Student Life in 2018 Tran Hoang Long (fourth from right) and the Enactus club were honoured at the Community Spotlight Awards hosted by RMIT’s Student Life in 2018

Most recently, Long co-founded the environmental project GREENACTUS 2019 which got the support of #SaveSonDoong and Wilderness Foundation Africa.

The project aims to equip the younger generation with the right knowledge and skillset to solve real-life environmental issues in Vietnam. 

For their numerous projects that worked towards a better community, Long and his club received a Community Spotlight Award presented by RMIT’s Student Life last year.

“We are proud to have contributed to raising public awareness about social and environmental issues in Vietnam,” Long said. 

“As young people, we might feel overwhelmed when faced with the problems out there in the country. But I have realised that we don’t have to do it alone. By connecting with other students and organisations, we can and will find solutions to those problems.”

Developing life skills 

Bachelor of Communication (Professional Communication) graduate Ngo Phuong Vy was one of the most active core team members in Hanoi’s Student Life department during her time at RMIT.

Vy’s exemplary leadership skills around social responsibility and service at RMIT were acknowledged through a Student Leadership Recognition Award which she achieved last year. 

She was also President of the Fitness Integrated Society (FIST), a member of the Music Club, and a frequent volunteer of major annual events such as Graduation, Orientation Day and Founder’s Day Carnival.

In fact, Graduation 2019 was her fourth consecutive graduation day but the first one she attended as a graduand. 

Ngo Phuong Vy (first on the right, front row) with fellow former RED core team members and Student Life staff at Graduation day 2019. Ngo Phuong Vy (first on the right, front row) with fellow former RED core team members and Student Life staff at Graduation day 2019.

“The most rewarding part of my student years was the time spent with the RMIT Event Drive (RED) team. To me, RED is like a big family and I have made life-long friends here. That’s why I have been with the team throughout my university time,” Vy said.

Through her extracurricular roles, Vy was also able to acquire qualities that have become very useful in her current job at a fast-paced PR agency. 

“The projects that I work on now have a much bigger scale and complexity. Yet I’m confident to take them on, largely thanks to the skills that I’ve nurtured over the three years at RMIT,” she added.

Exploring self-awareness 

Unlike Long and Vy, Accountancy graduate Khong Thi Thuy My had already had a few years of solid experience in the workforce prior to starting a degree at RMIT.  Most notably, she worked for the Breast Cancer Network Vietnam (BCNV) as a media officer.

While at RMIT on an Opportunity Scholarship, My actively engaged in a variety of wellbeing and inclusion programs where she got to learn more about other facets of the non-profit sector. 

One of her most memorable experiences was volunteering at the largest fundraising event of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco during her exchange program to the US.

Khong Thi Thuy My (second from right) with co-organisers at a benefit concert for breast cancer patients in October 2019. Khong Thi Thuy My (second from right) with co-organisers at a benefit concert for breast cancer patients in October 2019.

The fundraising knowledge she gained helped her to co-organise the Pink October event in Vietnam in response to the Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The event attracted nearly 1,500 participants.

She also sought support from the RMIT Library to exhibit a breast cancer awareness photo gallery, and worked with fellow students to hold a benefit concert for breast cancer patients in October 2019. 

My said that the best thing about RMIT community engagement was the chance to discover her potential and what she can do best.

“You always have a chance to try new things and create an impact. And you get tremendous support from everyone to make your ideas work. 

“Learning in a community of kindness and thoughtfulness has shaped my personality and my confidence. Now I am always thinking of how I can give back more in everything that I do,” My said.

RMIT Vietnam students can choose from more than 40 student-run clubs and societies across both campuses, covering an array of community, cultural, sports, recreation, business and social interests. RMIT Vietnam students can choose from more than 40 student-run clubs and societies across both campuses, covering an array of community, cultural, sports, recreation, business and social interests.

Looking back on their community engagement experiences while at university, Vy and Long shared similar takeaways.

“For me, it has always been about the friends I make and the value I bring – however big or small – to those around me,” said Vy.

"To current students who want to engage in the same activities as I did, my advice is to be bold to act. RMIT has already created a great environment to support you in every way. The only question is whether you are willing to take action or not,” said Long.

Story: Ngoc Hoang

09 December 2019

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