Vice President: Christopher Ngu

In my initial years of joining COSDU, I told myself “Man, don’t ever think of joining the committee. There’s nothing you can do really well there anyway. Just being a member is fine.” And yes, that was the idea I withheld for a year or two more. To any of you out there sharing the same mind set as Chris from 2010, please allow me to try and change your mind! So please, bear with me.

Before I begin, allow me to clarify one thing: this is definitely not an entry to attempt to brag about the work/effort I’ve put into this role. Rather, it is one to encourage those whose thoughts or feelings may resonate with mine, be it from myself of the past or from present times.

The idea of taking up the role of Vice-President, or any role in the committee to be frank, didn’t come straight off the bat for me – well it took 4 years. I was apprehensive of my capabilities and whether or not I would really be able to contribute to the society through any of the committee roles. But sometimes there come incidents where doing has to come before thinking, and for me, taking up the role of Vice-President was one of those times.

To shed some light on the role of being a Vice-President, it can sound incredibly daunting and intimidating right from the start! Trust me, I know. But once you get past those feelings of intimidation, you find a role which for most of the part may not necessarily require and depend on your individual contributions alone. No, this is definitely a role which sees you drawing on help from all the other members of the committee!

The main responsibilities of the Vice-President are few, but require persistence and perseverance. This is all from memory, so forgive me if I miss out on anything:

•           Organise Welcome Barbeque events at the beginning of each semester

•           Being the main correspondent with UMSU International for events such as Night Market (Semester 1) and Festival of Nations (Semester 2)

•           Keeping an inventory of the contents of the COSDU cupboard

Of course, as the name of the role suggests, you will have to work closely with the President, and step in if times require you to do so.

As suggested by previous portfolios, you don’t need special skills/superpowers to be able to fill this role. All it requires is an open heart, a desire to help and of course space for you to be formed by God through this position. So please do not feel pressured by the weight of this role. It will take time to settle into it, but it will happen nonetheless.

To anyone of you who may possibly be considering the role, I will gladly try to be of any assistance in any way in your path of discerning the role, so feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

In Christ,

Chris Ngu