TTT: Telling The Truth
I stopped saving face in the last year. Honesty is truly the best policy. It creates a connection unbreakable and clearly genuine. Here’s what I’ve learned.
A still frame. Context lost.
Here it is:
I just finished giving my first speech on 14th February 2018. I would go on to give one more on the 23rd too. My speech was all about my experiences at QMUL with the hope to encourage prospective students to come and study geography or environmental science.
As I walked away, I looked to Adil (mentioned in previous blogs). I didn’t look to the audience. I had just made myself vulnerable and was genuinely afraid I had overstated the truth.
The truth. That was key to how I presented the School of Geography.
I didn’t sugarcoat anything. There are harsh realities of life at university. It’s not all cotton candy and laughs. It’s hard work. It’s such hard work that it breaks people down. Stress levels exceed healthy levels and it leads to a life of anxiety, depression or other mental health issues.
Today was the last offer holder day. I didn’t perform my speech but I spoke to many students. All with the intention of imparting knowledge about the university in an honest manner.
I have no intention of sharing knowledge that isn’t factual nor helping a cause that I don’t have any interest in nor support.
This has stemmed through my professional life.
Working at the golf centre, we often were pushed to sell more and meet KPIs. I couldn’t do it for some products, they were so awful and I didn’t believe in its aims.
I think, in life; the truth really sells. It sells well.
Reason being is because the customer invests in your pitch. They feel they can relate. They feel they can be involved.
I might be a second year student at a Russell Group university but I would talk to anyone like a friend.
I don’t see myself above anyone else and I commend everyone for trying to push on in whatever they’re passionate about.
There were faces there today that I expect to see in September. Normally after speaking to someone, I’m able to tell if the truth excited or disheartened an individual.
In a world where the truth is hard to find, I think it’s important wherever possible to stay true to what you actually believe.
Everyone has their own truth. There are two sides to every story. Two sides to a coin. I believe something is truth and I’ll advocate for that.
I realised, probably too late in life, that telling the truth fully and honestly is the only way to progress.
It’s not brutal. It shows compassion and humility in order to have the cognition and understanding as well as respect for the other individual.
No-one likes to be treated disrespectfully so I feel my role as Geography Ambassador was supposed to push towards marketing but I took my own spin on it.
I won’t know if the truth paid dividends until September but what I do know is that the people I interacted with have a full understanding of life at QMUL.
There were no frills and no exaggerations.
As I reflect on my role during these four events, I think to how I can implement and continue life in such manner.
Having the humility to say I don’t know. Saying I don’t agree with something. Not falling to peer pressure. Living my best life.
It’s all part of the process, which I have spoken about profoundly in the past.
I have attached my speech below, it has made an appearance in my blog profusely over the last few weeks — it’s only appropriate to share the content as it is another piece of writing.
My name is Danial Naqvi, I’m 20 years old from Sidcup, Kent and Geography at Queen Mary University of London gave me a platform to solidify my identity and pursue a purpose.
Before arriving at university, I attended Beths Grammar School bordering both North Kent and South East London and graduated in 2016 with A Levels in Geography, Maths and Spanish. I didn’t particularly enjoy school due to recurring social issues and I would’ve considered myself to be an introvert however, I saw university as a chance to start a new chapter.
Starting university as a commute, with a total return journey time of three hours, was daunting to say the least. I commuted alongside working professionals and it sometimes felt like I was sitting next to my future self. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make friends, but more importantly maintain those friendships. I didn’t know anyone from my school on my course so Freshers’ week was my opportunity to bond with people from all over the world. I was fortunate enough to find that all my friends were on my course. We spent time during lecture, before and after discussing course material and other things. Now we’re a group of twelve strong individuals but it feels more like a family.
My experience at Queen Mary has been centred around opportunity, specifically expressing myself and making myself known through writing and journalistic practices. It’s a career I want to pursue after university and as you can tell, I quite like to tell stories but I’ll keep this rendition short and sweet. Upon instruction from my tutor during a tutorial in my first semester, I started a blog. This blog has now reached over 1000 views per month and since has become a daily edition and helped me to secure an internship in Canary Wharf working as content and communications manager. It never would’ve started without the words of wisdom from my tutor in my first year.
Teaching in my first year directly influenced my work in journalism at Queen Mary and abroad. I worked for The Print, the student newspaper, writing on issues of education and culture — topics that were taught extensively. During that year, I was shortlisted for Student Media Contributor of the Year Award, the only person to be shortlisted as a first year — a direct result of my articles in the newspaper. Abroad, I was published in a National news magazine in Pakistan called Newsline talking about issues of climate justice, a topic I took strong interest in during my first year.
I was involved in two societies in my first year. The Commuters Society and the Geography Society. The Geography Society provided a basis for me to be part of a team and develop my employability skills for the future. I now hold the Equality and Diversity Officer role where I work with the School of Geography to ensure better diversity amongst the society which represents the multiculturalism across the school. The Geography Society hosted former President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed in Februrary 2017 and while I wasn’t part of organisation — I was given the opportunity to write a press release by Geography Society president at the time Jason Lynch, which was published on my blog and further in the Maldives too. The School of Geography and the Geography Society have been integral to my personal and professional development.
I would say academics are a reasonable challenge at Queen Mary. The support is there in the form of the PASS scheme, office hours with lecturers and friends. No task is too difficult with these support mechanisms in place. I emphasise academics because I felt that they were essential to my first year. But why?
I had applied to study abroad in the USA in November 2016. On 8th December 2016, to my delight, I received a conditional offer, on the basis of reaching 60% or equivalent to a 2:1 in my first year to study at The University of Texas at Austin. I would embark on this adventure in the first semester of my second year but first I had to excel in my exams. After receiving the go-ahead from the School, I packed my bag and had a trip of a lifetime. Austin, Texas if you ever get the chance to go is one of the most diverse places I have visited outside the UK. The University of Texas offered an equally-parallel education as well as the life of an American college campus. I visited Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and New Orleans during my time there whilst still achieving strong grades. Study abroad gave me the opportunity to break down internalised stereotypes about Americans that we all have, better appreciate my position at home and make friends around the world that I otherwise never would have met.
Now as a result of my time at Queen Mary, I work in that very internship part-time, working on issues of modern slavery and energy — two very geographical matters. I am working on a dissertation around Fort Worth, Texas regarding urban sprawl and questions of place identity and I’m enjoying the community aspect back at home with the Geography Society.
If I told my friends at university now that one and a half years ago I was an introvert, they’d probably laugh in my face. So I suppose my story at Queen Mary is one of taking opportunities. University is really what you make of it, you get out what you put in. It might sound cliche but Queen Mary Geography has started and will continue to shape me as a person and I hope you all find the same if you choose to come here. Thank you for listening.
The truth has got me a long way in a short space of time.
Let the trend continue.