NYAA Gold award interview

I was around magazine road area today for my Duke of Edinburgh, NYAA gold award interview. Though I tend to frequent the river walk area for dinner often, I’ve not really been around the Central Mall area before as it is always around the outskirts of town. Nevertheless, I really liked how the offices, pubs and restaurants are arranged and put together in the area, so much that it’s both modern and paints a little self-contained village feel.

Their offices are located on the third floor of the 5th block, the stone walled architecture on the office facade and it’s location beside a temple really added to the NYAA building’s old authentic feel. It’s mostly a walk up office so you will be more or less greeted by flights of timber steps leading up to their 3rd floor office. There you will be kindly greeted by their staff there who will direct you to their meeting/waiting room where you can get to mingle with the other interviewees while waiting for your turn.

The interview is a one to one interview with their deputy executive director and she’s a very kind lady who will guide you along with the interview. So there is no real need to prepare for it as ultimately it’s your deeds and commitments! Overall, I can’t really tell how I fair from my interview. It’s very much a mixture- I think I did give a good impression to the interviewer, and I believe I did bring forward my point of the NYAA award being a great contributor to what I am today and how students and leaders like us can see the world today and take steps to do deeds in the benefit of the community, both local and overseas.

Through each component, I explained through my efforts in planning, organizing and aiding in events such as my residential project and adventurous journey just to name afew. However I constantly felt that it’s rather difficult to bring forward a point or impressing the interviewer with what I say. Maybe there is the exception of the interviewer’s exposure to the various events done by students, which don’t seem to raise an eyebrow in my projects? Ummm that I will have to wonder.

Nevertheless, it was a rather enjoyable causal discussion and everything was done rather in a very relaxed setting. Focused on only the award objectives, I did not bang on my portfolio, awards or achievements, neither did I let the interviewer in that I am am institutional and special awards winner (though I felt that will definitely give me a comparative edge). But I felt the constant need to leave them out of the topic as I believe that it’s something fair and humble to do to and to also level the playing field for the other Gold award candidates as well. Neither was I even complacent on my remarks from my school student development officer exclaiming that “I will have the award more or less in the bag quite easily”. I think that is not something I would like to count before the chickens are hatched either.

Nevertheless, I always tell myself- “it could be worse” and I am glad I didn’t mess it up, with the exception of few quirks here and there. My interviewer offered me the NYAA Gold awardees alumni GAHA leaflet at the end of the interview with her hand written follow-up on sending my project photographs in so that it could be used in their annual award publications. But that is only when I get selected right? Or does that mean something else?

It’s late, I will be touching on the happenings of my scholarship award ceremony this evening tomorrow.