echo Written by Lavanya Balakrishnan
Edited by Ms. Amanda and Varshini Vijayakumar
The closing ceremony was held on Friday, 1st June 2018 from 10am to 12.30pm at the Viewing Gallery of New University Building. It marked the end of the beYOUtiful campaign journey and around 35 to 50 people attended the ceremony. The event began with a warm welcome by Ruwan, who was the emcee for the day. Ruwan acknowledged the presence of the VIPs, the beYOUtiful campaign crew, members of the audience and others. The emcee recalled the purpose of the campaign and how lovely the campaign issue was. He added that self love was more than acceptance by others. It is more about who we are, willing to stand for yourself regardless of your flaws.
The event was followed by a vibrant speech by Campaign Director, Kelsie Keah who thanked all the entities who were involved in the success of the campaign and thanked the participation of the audience for their support. She mentioned that her experience of hardwork and perseverance were essential for her too. In order to be able to realise the importance of spreading self love, one must get their hands dirty to achieve their desired goals. Next, the promotional video, video montage and a shout out video by Dennis Yin was projected onto the screen.The emcee received interaction from the audience that negative thoughts should be eliminated and one should practice self confidence.
Next, Programme chair from DCLA, Ms. Padma Priya K.R Pillai delivered her inspiring speech. She began with a quote from a prominent song, Beautiful by Christina Aguilera, ‘You are beautiful, no matter what they say. Words can’t bring you down.’ Ms. Padma highlighted the success of previous campaigns such as Hold Your Desires to Can’t Touch This and stated that she was delighted to be a part of the beYOUtiful campaign which promoted an awareness on self love. Ms.Padma emphasised the many roles that she holds in her life and some roles where she faced rejection just to keep others happy. Later, she realised that every individual was unique and she called it ‘authenticity’. Ms Padma stated that she believes in giving and taking respect but respect starts with how we present ourselves foremost.She also addressed key aspects such as maturity, simplicity, and fulfillment. Ms Padma ended her speech by uttering the phrase ‘be proud of who you are’.
Amal from Brunei sang and played the guitar once again. Her choice of songs were again breezy and medium fast melodies. Amal performed Plain and Simple by Fionn Richards and Peter.
Professor Donald William Bowyer, the Dean of SOA, started his speech with a quote by Confucius. ‘Everything has beauty but not everyone notices the beauty’, he mentioned. He was grateful that the campaign aimed at improving the quality of mental health through the many connotations imposed on a person who lacks self confidence. Professor Donald Bowyer also thanked the organising crew and the event video of ‘It’s a beYOUtiful day!’ was projected after his speech. Next, dancers from Sunway Dance Club performed Dream Come True by Adele to commemorate self love and acceptance.
Professor Graeme Wilkinson, the Vice Chancellor was thrilled with the entire campaign. The Vice Chancellor also thanked everyone and highlighted that the campaign issue was an important social problem that needs to be addressed. He was baffled on how most people preferred style over substance these days. Professor Wilkinson mentioned that most people follow celebrities, become depressed and worried if they don’t look like their favourite celebrity and end up not loving themselves. Professor Wilkinson iterated that looks were secondary but self confidence is important. He added that one should have compassion, gratitude, and generosity towards others. Ultimately, Professor Wilkinson urged everyone to believe in themselves and surround themselves with the right people. The speeches gave a sense of hope that the purpose of the campaign and the campaign issues were met and will be adhered by students and the staff of Sunway College and Sunway University.
The closing ceremony proceeded with a lucky draw session and the lucrative prizes included the Starbucks Voucher, promotional vouchers to Game Fusion and tickets to Legoland. The event continued with a token of appreciation presented by the Campaign Director, Kelsie Keah to the Programme Chair, the Dean, the Vice Chancellor, Guest Lecturer Ms. Catherine Lee, Supervisor Lecturer Mr.Suffian Hadi Ayub and to the MM2 Representative, Ms.Irene. The final, Instagram online contest winner was announced and the winner won a Hotel stay at Sheraton, Sandakan. The last online contest was titled ‘Self love is your first romance’. The ceremony ended with a group picture and a final thank you note by Ruwan.
Self love and acceptance should be nurtured within each individual. The world will be a better place to commute in if everyone learns to appreciate themselves. Therefore, the theme of the campaign, ‘beYOUtiful’ is extremely appropriate and simply means that the true beauty arises by being yourself.
