The Registrar of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Mrs Mary Abena Agyepong has engaged with students of the University as part of her routine interactive sessions with them, held in the Auditorium of the Multi-Purpose Building on Wednesday, 9th August, 2023.
The session, on the theme; ‘Opportunities Everywhere – Identify, Create and Utilise them,’ was organised by the Office of the Dean of Students in collaboration with the Office of the Registrar. Also present were some staff members of the University.
First, Mrs. Agyepong quizzed the pupils on what was meant by opportunity. They characterised it as circumstance, time, and place, among other responses. She praised their efforts while defining opportunity as a possible course of action. It is actionable, according to her, and has the potential to be meaningful to both the business owner and the client.
The Registrar continued that, opportunity is associated with change creativity, and innovation, and in identifying opportunities one must be curious and open-minded. As students, there are lots of opportunities, they can take advantage of to enhance their situation and enhance their lives.
Mrs. Agyepong also touched on the differences between Opportunities and Ideas. She said that while an idea is only a concept in one’s mind if it is not put into action, it has no value.
She outlined how an idea is like a seed, whereas an opportunity is like a tree that grows from a seed. When one is open-minded and curious, trendy, looking for solutions to current problems, leveraging strengths and interests, and using networking as a learning experience, she noted, an opportunity might be discovered. She said many are waiting for the big break and so ignore the small happenings in their lives and they could lose by ignoring such opportunities.
To advance opportunities she recommended four (4) sources of Opportunity that can make a difference in their lives. These are: Active Search, Effectuation, Information, and Change.
The Register quoted the phrase SMART, which stands for S- Specific, M- Measurable, A- Achievable, R- Realistic, and T- Time to help with exploitation Opportunities.
She also cited the humble beginnings of the architect of Coca Cola, Dr. John Stith Pemberto, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zoom App, Eric Yuan, who took advantage of the opportunities that came their way and made a difference in their lives and the world at large.
Mrs. Agyepong urged the students to battle their fears, have an optimistic outlook, and accept that failure is a part of life. This is so because the experience of failure helps one to grow in order to experience success. She stated that students should not lose sight of their enthusiasm, keep it alive, and take things one step at a time.
The students posed questions about how to become wealthy, how to get oneself up after failing, and how to stick with one’s dreams during the question-and-answer time.
The session’s moderator, Dr. Daniella Sedegah, the Dean of Students, advised the participants to put the Registrar’s presentation’s lessons into practice.
