Retiring at 21

An elderly couple walking their dog in parklands

In a couple of weeks’ time, my ambassadorship with StudyAdelaide will come to an end.

It’s crazy to think just how fast time flies – still feels like it was just yesterday I went to my first interview with them! I can’t help but feel emotional yet proud of the things I’ve accomplished with the group over the past year. So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to reflect on my experiences as a student ambassador. 

Pulling myself together to apply for the position was already one of my biggest achievements. You see, I tend to overthink when it comes to taking bold steps and, in this case, applying for a competitive position filled my brain with loads of “You’re probably not good enough for the role" and “There’s going to be someone way better than you” but I did it anyway and put my name into the goblet of fire.   And it worked out for the better! I did in fact get the role and of course, there were loads of other students who were better than myself but we each have our own strengths that we brought to the table which made the team work flawlessly.

From that moment on, I have tried not to hold myself back from seizing opportunities that come my way because I now know that much like every other person, I am deserving of the chance to prove what I’ve got. A couple of months later, I applied for the student blogger role and now here I am, writing to all of you!

Throughout my tenure, I also saw myself getting out of my comfort zone fairly easily – which was quite a shocker. I socialised as I’ve never socialised before. Some people I’ve met at events actually thought I was a full-on extrovert – I’m not, I’m just really good at catching the vibe apparently. It’s rewarding to learn that you are capable of doing the things you thought you wouldn’t be able to do. I’ve been super lucky to have a platform to explore my untapped potential.

But the icing on the cake is the people that I’ve been so honoured to work with. From the people at StudyAdelaide who are so supportive in everything we do to the ambassadors that I’ve had the pleasure of calling my colleague and friends. They make working feel like we’re having fun instead! I’m so thankful for the opportunity of being this year’s student ambassador. Being a part of such a great team has taught me so much and I can’t wait to see what I’ll be able to do with all those experiences in the future. 

If you’ve been contemplating whether or not you should join a certain club or apply for a certain role, I say just do it! You’ll be surprised just how rewarding it is to be a part of something good.

Tagged in What messes with your head, Student life, volunteer