What Class Representatives want you to know before you graduate

By the time you reach graduation, it is often expected that you should have everything mapped out, your career, your next step, your future self. Yet for RMIT Class Representatives of 2026 from Hanoi campus, who have spent their university years not only navigating their own journeys but also carrying the voices of others, that reality feels less certain. What they have learned is that graduation is not a final answer, but a turning point, where moving forward matters more than having it all figured out.

As they step off the stage, these are the lessons they carry with them, and the ones they hope you will, too.

For Design Studies graduate Nguyen Huong Giang, creativity has never been just about making something beautiful. It began with a simple pencil drawing she once gifted her mother that stayed on the wall for years, a quiet moment of joy that grew into a belief that design, at its core, is an act of love.

That belief carried her through university, from international recognitions at D&AD, Crowbar, and ISTD to projects that pushed her to think beyond what design looks like, and towards what it makes people feel. In one such project for Suntory, her team translated flavour into visual form through synesthesia, creating a brand that felt immersive and emotional.“It was a chance to turn an abstract feeling into something people could almost taste, hear, and see,” she said.

But for Giang, those milestones were never the measure of what mattered most. What stayed was the question behind the work. “You don’t have to start with a perfect plan,” she reflected. “But always ask yourself: why am I doing this?.”

That same mindset followed Giang into moments of uncertainty, of navigating what’s next. Instead of letting self-doubt hold her back, Giang learned to see it as part of growth. “The key is to understand why you’re questioning your ability to grow so you don’t waste energy or let emotions dim your progress,” she said. “Reflect honestly, learn from the experience, and take intentional steps forward.”

“Success is being better today than I was yesterday,” she reflected. “It won’t be dramatic every day, but even small improvements add up.”

And perhaps most importantly, it is about remembering why you started.

If Hương Giang learned to create with intention, Nguyễn Chí Nghĩa learned to grow without waiting for certainty.

For Information Technology graduate Nguyen Chi Nghia, uncertainty was never a passing phase. It began when he moved to Vietnam at fifteen, entering a new country without fluency or familiarity. Over time, Nghia came to see that uncertainty not as something standing in his way, but as something that was shaping him in ways he could not yet name.

That shift pushed him into spaces that once intimidated him, from public speaking and student clubs to hosting events and stepping into leadership roles as a Project Manager and Lead Developer. Instead of waiting to feel ready, he learned to start anyway, trusting that growth would follow action, not the other way around.

That perspective became especially important in final year, when everything begins to collide: academic pressure, job hunting, and the expectation to act like you already know what comes next. For Nghĩa, the challenge was not difficulty, but everything happening at once. “I wish I'd known is that those tradeoffs aren't a sign of something's gone wrong”, he reflected, “They’re just what growth feels like when the stakes get real.”

“Don't wait for certainty. Start messy, stay curious, and give yourself permission to not have all the answers yet, because nobody has it all figured out,” he said.

Because in the end, what stayed with him was not the outcomes, but the people who were there along the way, the shared struggles, the small wins, the moments that made the journey meaningful.

“It’s not just about what you achieved. It’s about who was on that journey with you.”

What if the most important thing you learn at university is not how to stand out, but how to stand beside others?

That is where Business graduate Tran Le Thu Giang’s story begins, not with titles or achievements, but with people: classmates under deadline pressure, teammates learning how to disagree without falling apart, and students who needed quiet, consistent support to access the same education as everyone else. In those moments, she came to understand that leadership is not about visibility, but responsibility.

“A title only matters if it represents more than the person who holds it,” she said. For Giang, excellence was never an individual pursuit. It was a duty “to uplift others, to represent with integrity, and to contribute meaningfully to the community that shaped me,” she said.

That belief shaped the way she created impact from her role in the Business & Finance Club to her work mentoring peers and supporting students through Equitable Learning & Accessibility.

In a university culture that often rewards individual performance, Giang came to see excellence differently, “Excellence should be shared, not accumulated,” she reflected.

What matters, she believes, is the stability, dignity, and opportunity you create for others. “Impact is measured not by visibility, but by the stability and opportunity we create for others,” Giang said.

Because success means little if it only belongs to you. Listen before you lead, build trust before you seek recognition, and remember that the most meaningful progress is the kind that brings others forward with you.

As the ceremony ends and new chapters begin, what stays are not just the milestones, but the lessons, the people, and the growth along the way. Perhaps that is what university life and graduation is about: not having everything figured out, but learning how to keep moving forward. In the end, what matters most is not having all the answers, but carrying with you the lessons that shape how you show up, for yourself and for others.

Story: Tram Hoang, Professional Communication student. This article does not reflect the views of RMIT Vietnam as an institution.

What Class Representatives want you to know before you graduate

What Class Representatives want you to know before you graduate

Every graduation story is about more than achievements. It is also shaped by uncertainty, resilience, and the people we become along the way. For the Class Representatives of 2026 from Hanoi, these are the lessons they carry with them and the words they hope will guide you forward.

Creating with intention, leading with love

Growth through uncertainty to embrace messiness

Leading with integrity, building for others

Ready for what’s next

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