In life, we meet many people along the way, and they all play an essential role in our future. Someone who believes in the importance of meeting new people is Golden Key member Phenyo Mabokela. “I’m really passionate about helping others because I feel all […]
Bonnie Cooper’s journey with the Golden Key International Honour Society began in 1995 when she played a vital role in establishing the North Dakota State University (NDSU) chapter. From the moment she became involved, Bonnie’s commitment and passion for Golden Key shone through, leading her […]
When we run into rejection, we can either be held down by it or learn from it and move forward as a braver person. Someone who has taken rejection and genuinely grown from it is Golden Key member Emmanuel Pichay.
“This all started back in high school, and I liked this one girl and long story short, I asked her out, she laughed, and my judgment was clouded, and I couldn’t do well in school, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do from that point,” reveals Emmanuel. “And my friends just kept motivating me to graduate on time, and so I did. And I went to community college from that point, and that’s where I started figuring things out slowly, and now here I am two honor societies, about to make that three.”
Emmanuel Pichay is working on his pre-med degree in Human Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He joined Golden Key in the Fall of 2020 and regularly participates in his campuses’ chapter events, where he feels he has learned good time management skills.
“Honestly, Golden Key impacted my life by being a second chance for me to live life the way I used to be, a good, hardworking, academic achiever,” says Emmanuel. “It motivated me to do better than where I am right now.”
While Emmanuel has excelled academically this year, he has also struggled to stay afloat this year. He is among the many students who the Coronavirus Pandemic heavily impacted.
“My biggest challenge in my academic career is this pandemic that we’re living in right now,” Emmanuel reflects. “Not many students can afford to pay tuition themselves, just like me, and it’s definitely clouded my judgment and clouded their judgment–thinking how am I going to afford to pay my tuition? And with all the Zoom lecture teaching, it’s thinking how is this going to be easy on us students? And the way I look at it is, I’ve learned to adapt to the sudden changes.”
Emmanuel copes with the challenges of the pandemic by building a solid support system around himself. He finds the most comfort in making friends and is always trying to expand his friend circle.
“My biggest supporter right now, I would have to say, is my new friends at our campus church,” Emmanuel shares. “I recently just went back to church, and everyone I met there is really good students and really good friends, and I can always go to them when I’m in distress, or I might be stressed out from school, they’re fun to talk to, and they always talk about their academic careers and their line of work.”
Emmanuel would like to advise any new members that “It’s okay to take your time in life when it comes to schools and to figuring things out, just don’t take too long of a time figuring things out.”
Aloha. My full name is Gabriele Angelo Ciminelli and it has given people enormous trouble over the years! Though it might be a name that sounds like it is from the renaissance era, I can assure you I do love my name. To make things happier […]
Spirit, honor and bravery, all come to mind when thinking of the women and men who dedicate their lives to protecting their countries. One of these brave men is Golden Key member Cameron Cuevas. Cameron is studying Management Information Systems at Bowie State University and […]
Have you joined Golden Key but still aren’t sure how to become involved? Then you’ve come to the right place. While many students join honor societies for the resume booster, we know that GK members are hard-working leaders, eager to be involved in their community and aching to be a part of something larger. Here are five ways to get involved with Golden Key:
One way to quickly become involved with GK is to join a chapter. When you join a GK chapter, you expand your network with like-minded peers, enjoy chapter events, have the opportunity to participate in charity and cause events and connect with GK alumni at your university.
You can find your chapter by going to the chapter section on the GK site and using the search bar. If your university doesn’t have a chapter, check out our tips on starting your own, https://www.goldenkey.org/how-to-start-a-chapter/.
The GKA website offers a networking section where you personalize your profile, interact on a message board, find GK Thought Leaders, fellow members and join groups. The networking section allows you to connect with peers and see what your fellow members are up to.
GKA offers many self-paced courses for you to build your foundation for professional development (FPD). Once you complete a course, you can take an assessment to determine how much information you retained and how to further improve your skills.
The GKA website offers a wide array of webinars, articles and e-books on a plethora of topics for you to enjoy at your leisure. You can sign up to attend webinars on the GKA site, but if you miss a webinar, don’t sweat it; simply head over to the video section and never miss a thing. You can read articles and e-books to build your knowledge and leave comments for your peers.
We’re always looking for new Thought Leaders to provide webinars, articles and e-books to share with members worldwide. Feel free to fill out the Thought Leader submission form with any of your ideas.
One of the simplest ways to get involved with GK is to join us on social media. We are very active on social media, and we love when our members are involved too. Feel free to leave us a comment, like or share on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. We’re always sharing links to webinars and articles, featuring members and hosting chapter takeovers.
If you’re interested in being featured on our Instagram and Facebook pages, send us a dm with your name, university, major and one thing that inspired you this past year.
As with any opportunity, you get out of it, what you put into it, so feel free to reach out to Golden Key and become more involved in the GK community.
Golden Key member Estefan Pieterse is working on his master’s degree in Microbiology and Physiology from the North West University Potchefstroom campus. “My sister did a school project with bacteria when I was about 11 years old, and that sparked my interest in Microbiology,” reveals […]
I received my Golden Key certificate through the mail while completing my degree at the University of Waikato. The very moment I realised what this meant, I instantly attributed it to my academic performance the previous year (2006). Little did I know that the certificate […]
It’s not uncommon for students to take a study abroad year. It’s just that I was 37 when I took mine. I completed my first bachelor’s degree in 2001, joining Golden Key at that time, and then completed a second bachelor’s degree part-time by distance in 2008. Postgraduate study was always on my mind, and one day I saw a course at the University of Glasgow that looked to be exactly what I wanted to do. I applied, was accepted on scholarship, and suddenly I was moving to Scotland!
Moving abroad is difficult at any age, perhaps more so when you are older and more settled in life. Finding accommodation and making friends were also more difficult as an older student. I felt too old for student accommodation and all the university clubs and societies were full of much younger students, so I had to search outside of the university for friends.
But there are also definite advantages to waiting until you are older to study abroad. For example, I’d learned the value of networking, taking advantage of all learning opportunities, and also project management, which I was very thankful for when I came to write my dissertation. I also think I was much more grateful to be there, having waited for so long, versus my younger classmates who perhaps took the opportunity a bit more for granted. This made me value the whole of the experience more, rather than just going to class, submitting the assignments, and getting the degree.
Throwing myself into a new situation at age 37 was also a great personal challenge. You can become a little set in your ways as you get older. I’d lived in the same city my whole life, had worked for the same company for ten years, lived in the same apartment for seven years, and most of my friends I had known since at least my twenties. To have all of that taken away and have to navigate a new city, get out and meet new people, and be stretched intellectually was a big step outside of my comfort zone.
There were times it was difficult, times that I doubted myself or was lonely, and many times that I suffered from imposter syndrome. But as they say, the best learning happens outside of your comfort zone, and overall I feel that the experience made me a lot more confident and resilient. I also really enjoyed re-engaging with academia and the experience opened my eyes to different paths and career options. It was a very fulfilling experience and I’d say to others who have the same dream that you are never too old.
Bio: Claire Baxter
Claire became a member of Golden Key since 1999 during her Bachelor of Sports Management. She then completed a Bachelor of Arts in History and Archaeology, and has been working in the travel industry for the past 13 years as both a product manager and business analyst. During this time she took a sabbatical to study a Masters of Conflict Archaeology at the University of Glasgow.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairelbaxter/
Every day we make a million decisions: to have cereal or a muffin, to take a right instead of a left, but some decisions have more weight and impact on our lives than others. Golden Key member Mohammed Abu-Dalhoum is a firm believer that our […]
GK SCHOLARSHIPS: Ather Sharif
GK Scholarships: Logan Thornton