Convocation or graduation ceremonies are one of the highlights of a student’s life, a victorious celebration after years of struggles studying.
However, most of the time, graduation ceremonies can be a bit dull and full of protocols that you’d be bored sitting in the hall for hours waiting for your turn to finally go up on stage.
Well, the class of 2020 for the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) had something entertaining and memorable during its recently held graduation ceremony thanks to the speech by the batch’s valedictorian.
The top graduate of the Bachelor of Hospitality Business, Jacob Lau took to the stage to give a rather unconventional speech by using ‘chap fan’ or economy rice as an analogy for life.
In a TikTok video shared by Jacob which has since gone viral, the valedictorian shared his love for economy rice and said that his friends who’ve shared a meal with him can vouch for this infatuation.
He then segued into the first lesson we can get from economy rice, which is that you shouldn’t compare yourself with others. Jacob gave an example of an experience that’s all too common at an economy rice stall,
“I only had half the portion of rice as compared to the person before me… There will always be someone getting more rice than you.”
Applying that to real life, Jacob asserted that we should always look inward and compare ourselves with the person we were before and not with others.
He then moved on to the second life lesson from economy rice, saying,
“Just because everyone in the audience likes to eat sambal kangkung does not mean I have to eat sambal kangkung.”
Jacob related this to how one can be easily swayed to follow a certain career path just because everyone else is pursuing it. He stressed,
“As young adults and graduates of Singapore’s University of Applied Learning, we should be able to envision the career we love because passion precedes everything.”
His final lesson is on how there’s only a “limited space on the plate”, hence we should not order too many dishes or else the food will fall off.
Jacob used this as an analogy to not be obsessed with money to the point of not experiencing the joys of life such as appreciating and being with your loved ones. You can watch the whole video of Jacob’s graduation speech here:
@jacobjlau Guess my favorite dish #classof2020 #valedictorian #fyp #fypシ #tiktoksg #SIT #hospitality #caipng ♬ original sound – Jacob Lau
Who would’ve thought something so simple and ubiquitous can provide such meaningful life lessons eh? I don’t know about you, but I’m having cravings for economy rice after listening to Jacob’s speech!
What do you guys think of Jacob’s graduation speech? What’s your most memorable experience during a convocation ceremony? Share it with us in the comments.
Also read: WATCH: M’sian Student Sparks Laughter by Flashing Toothless Smile During Convocation
