Taking on a new leadership role in University is never a straightforward decision, especially when students are already juggling personal and academic responsibilities. So we have reached out recently to Sophia Wong, a FASS Student Ambassador (SA) for AY 2021/2022, to hear more about her decision to sign up to be an SA and how the past year has been for her.

Sophia is a Year 3 student at FASS pursuing a double major in Global Studies and Political Science. She is no stranger to the busy lifestyles that many FASS students have, managing multiple responsibilities across different areas. In her second year, Sophia held leadership positions — she was concurrently an SA, President of FASS Club  and Secretary of the NUS Global Studies Club. She also played with the floorball team and sang with the choir at Sheares Hall. It is fair to say that Sophia has done a lot. She was even awarded the FASS Student Leadership Award in 2022.

Read on to find out more about her experience as an SA and how she juggled the role alongside her many other responsibilities.

What was your motivation for applying to the FASS Student Ambassador Programme? 

This may sound like a cliché, but I really enjoy my time in FASS as a student! I love the stuff that I can learn here and the friends that I have made are really supportive too. I also love the community in FASS, including the professors and staff members. I wanted to share with everyone my fond experiences in FASS so that more people can see FASS in the same way as I do! Furthermore, as I was involved in FASS Club and Global Studies Club at that point in time, I figured that these experiences of mine would be able to value-add if I helped out as a SA too.

What kind of engagement activities did you participate in as an SA? 

I helped with multiple FASS Open Houses through the year. Each Open House has a different target audience, purpose and programme, so it was really fun to help out in different ways for each event! This also gave me the opportunity to take on different roles and responsibilities, such as being the overall-in-charge of student clubs, usher, tour guide etc. – all of which allowed me to interact and speak to different potential freshmen and their families!

Student Ambassador, FASS Club President and Secretary for NUS Global Studies. Given that you were holding multiple leadership positions at the same time, how was the experience like for you managing these different appointments? 

I think this really boils back down to my passion and sense of responsibility! I take pride in the roles I serve in, so I expect myself to live up to the expectations of these roles. I made a promise to myself that no matter how busy or tiring things get, I would not short-change any of my roles nor the people that I'm supposed to serve in those roles. I knew that there were people relying on me, so I had to work as hard as everyone else to not let their efforts go to waste. I guess I'm always drawn to leadership roles too... if an opportunity comes my way and I think I'm able to juggle all the responsibilities without short-changing any of it, I will surely take it on.

What did you find being the most enjoyable and memorable as an SA?

I really find joy and a sense of fulfilment when interacting with potential students and their families! It is really satisfying to know that my experiences and sharing were able to value-add or enlighten them since I came into university as a very, very clueless and helpless freshman. Since I was used to planning, preparing and executing events, being an SA feels like yet another CCA and community that I can contribute actively in and be proud of. I also had the opportunity to work with fellow FASS student ambassadors which is always fun!

What would you say to your juniors who are considering the role?

If you’re on the fence about the role, I would say it really gives you a huge confidence boost when you’re talking to people, so go for it! The role also encompasses a variety of responsibilities so there will be a way you can contribute if you wish to stay in your comfort zone. For myself, the sense of fulfilment was definitely what kept me going as an SA!