Doxa Cadet, Judy Hang tells us about her favourite things about being involved in Doxa
My name is Judy and I am a first-year student undertaking a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne. I hope to double major in Politics/International studies and Asian studies. I am of Vietnamese heritage as both my parents are migrants. I went to Braybrook College, a diverse school in the Western Suburbs and during those years my journey with Doxa began.
I was first introduced to Doxa through the University Pathways Program in Year 10 and was exposed to the many programs that exist including that of the Cadetship. Having Cadets as team leaders and mentors motivated me to apply for the Doxa Cadetship towards the end of year 12. Here I am now with the amazing opportunity to personally and professionally develop my skills as part of the Doxa Cadetship 2018 cohort.
Welcome to the Doxa family…
A key part of the Cadetship program is to attend a residential camp in Malmsbury each year. Throughout the 3 days and 2 nights, we are able to learn about ourselves and furthermore learn about developing the skills that we need to make the most out of the program. However, we also get to bond with those in our cohort that we’ll be spending most of our time with for the next few years.
“Doxa has always supported me and many others throughout the years, and the genuine kindness of the group and Doxa staff reminding us that it’s okay to seek for help and ask questions.”
Jess from Doxa had told us that ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’; this really resonated with me! And when asked to reflect on the weekend, the majority of my fellow 2018 Doxa Cadets said their highlight was meeting each other – how amazing is that?
The new 2018 Cadet cohort at our Malmsbury residential camp, bonding as a team & learning new skills
Developing our professional skills
We were given a valuable workshop held by Fran James (Future Insights/UPP) We were able to have time to sit down and think very carefully about what our priorities are – whether it was our health, family, education, career etc. From here we were able to establish what our goals were and the strategies that we could put in place to prevent ourselves from feeling demotivated and ‘stuck’. From this session, I was reminded that our goals in life should not only revolve around university and careers. We have families (including pets!), friends, our communities and most importantly our health that should be our top priority. These aspects in our lives enhance our overall performance! 🙂
Personal development & living our values
On our final day, Jo Parker, from Heart Sparks, discussed some topics around personal development, such as building confidence and being true to our values and beliefs. We were given a large list of values and had to narrow it down to our most important ones. We were able to do this individually, away from external pressures and influence.
“What I took from this workshop is that these values guide our behaviours and perception.”
We all have different values where our beliefs may conflict, and this must be taken in consideration when we are in public settings such as uni or work!