Recent Graduate, Anthony Labib is the first student to graduate from a Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship) at ICMS! At the April 2021 Graduation Ceremony, Anthony shared some of his best ICMS memories with his fellow graduates, ICMS Board Members and Faculty.
Anthony’s journey with ICMS began in 2018 and since then has become an active member of the ICMS community, he has taken part in the residential advocate program , the peer assisted learning program as well as being a scholarship recipient and a 2021 graduate speaker.
Francisco Vasconcellos, Senior Program Manager of the ICMS Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship) course congratulated Anthony and exclaimed that he is proud of Anthony and believes he has very good insights into the business industry from his experiences with ICMS.
In his graduation speech, Anthony discusses his real Aussie experience moving from Dubbo, in Regional NSW to the ‘Castle on the Hill’ in Manly and how ICMS gave him experiences in which you could never get anywhere else ! He also reflected on the struggles that came with the pandemic such as figuring out online study, trying to meet up with groups for assignments and learning how to hand-in assignments online.
We are very proud of Anthony and wish him the best for his future !
I was drawn to ICMS for both the entrepreneurship course and the industry experience. Whilst entrepreneurship courses are offered elsewhere, I really thought that the combination of both was really unique and it drew me to study at the college!
I found my course through the UAC submissions process. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, but I always knew I wanted to do something different and I thought this course would be the perfect place to start!
I did my industry placement at JARO sports which was a small North Sydney tech start up and this was the best environment I could have been placed within. My placement genuinely shaped the way I think and interact within the workplace and within my own personal projects. I really wouldn’t have been able to secure my current role at FedEx or take on my project without this experience.
I’m not sure what the future holds! I will definitely keep working away at my own projects alongside full-time work. But I like to take opportunities as they come rather than forcing them! In the end, as long as I am working in an environment which is dynamic and provides a real solution to a real problem, I am happy!
ICMS has well equipped me to take on any opportunity that arises. Everything from the interactive and genuine lectures, to the extremely diverse network of friends I have made , to the in-depth industry experience, really provide a solid basis to take on any opportunity that arises and hopefully thrive.
Take any opportunity you get and make a lot of friends whilst you’re at ICMS! Also, interact with your lecturers, they are genuine industry experts with a real wealth of knowledge!
Good afternoon to the 2021 business graduates who are here today and those of us that are watching from our live stream broadcast. I also welcome our friends and families who watching our ceremony online and in the great hall. And to all of the ICMS staff and faculty who have made our graduation possible!
As some of you know my name is Anthony Labib, I’ve been attending here at ICMS since 2018 and I’m honoured to be the graduate speaker today. First let me start by saying, to the students, congratulations we made it! Those assignments, speeches, tests, group presentation, reports, late nights and early starts, don’t seem too bad now, do they? To the parents, aren’t you just proud of us?? And to the ICMS staff, it’s safe to say one more hour and we’ll be out of your hair for good. But hey don’t miss us too much I’m sure we’ll see you around.
Now, my story at ICMS started when I arrived here in early 2018. I drove down from Dubbo in my ute, with one of my best mates. I arrived at the college in appropriate attire of course. Shorts, thongs and a flannelette shirt, or better referred to as a flanny. I made my way into this big castle which would be my home for the next couple of years. I was greeted by so many faces, and honestly I couldn’t remember any of their names. But one things for sure, I certainly remembered their hospitality, as they made me feel instantly welcomed. And oh, I figured I needed to buy a suit pretty quickly.
So fast forward to today and what’s changed since then. Well firstly as you can see I’m in a suit. So we’re off to a good start. I’ve made so many friends, internationally and domestically. I’ve had the opportunity to be a residential advocate, an academic scholarship recipient, I am the first student to finish the Entrepreneurship specialty course. And the thing that probably keeps my parents up at night, I am now working on my start-up. But perhaps the most important thing ICMS has given me and honestly something which you just don’t find anywhere else. Is the opportunity to gain real industry experience.
You see I didn’t know where I wanted to end up after my course, but all I knew was that I wanted something different. And the ICMS WIL team, well they gave me something different. They helped place me in a tech start-up environment, which saw me trouble shooting problems in the office on Wednesday, flying to meet with clients in another city on Thursday and back in time on Friday for the weekend. An experience that has truly helped mold my career this far, provided me with a solid basis to engage in my own projects that I am passionate about and really helped me figure out what I wanted to do!
But that’s enough about me, let’s get back to you. Because what I want you to understand is, today, you haven’t just graduated. No, you’ve graduate in perhaps one of the most disruptive times we may ever experience in our lives. And I’m sure you all know I don’t need to tell you that.
We started by handing in assignments physically in person, to submitting everything via turn-it-in. Meeting our groups for a coffee and a chat in the market place, to doing everything via social media and zoom. And we went from being asked by our lecturers why we haven’t tapped our student card at the beginning of our lecture to why we haven’t turned our camera on? And for that, I think we all deserve a big round of applause. Well maybe not the last point, but hey disruptive times right?
And whilst the effects of the pandemic will no doubt continue to impact the world in the following years, I genuinely believe we have the upper hand. Just think back to our experience here, every semester we worked in groups right? Well as far as you resume is concerned, that’s almost 24 occasions you engaged with multiple stakeholders within a complex project to achieve a common goal. Or how about your ability to deliver detailed, measurable and accurate reports within strict deadlines to key team members for analysis.
You know the nearly 50 reports we handed in during our time studying? Alright so there both definitely a stretch, but Seriously though, whilst it might be hard to realise in the moment, the small classes, many group assignments, the exposure to different cultures and of course our industry experience really sets us apart from studying anywhere else. And I genuinely believe we are the best positioned fresh graduates in this environment, and I’m certain we all head out there and achieve our goals.
Now before we head off this afternoon I’d just like us to acknowledge one more time, those of us that could not be here today, I hope you enjoy your celebrations with your family and friends. You deserve it, you’ve worked hard to earn it! Could we please give them a big round of applause for the online broadcast!
Now, for everyone here today I look forward to seeing you for a few cocktails shortly and hopefully later on, down in the Corso! This is the last time I’m going to make you clap your hands. So to the 2021 ICMS graduating class, thank you very much, it’s been a great time! I look forward to seeing what every one of us achieves. Once again, we made it and you owe yourselves a big round of applause! Thank you.
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