Name: Celine Nadya Gunawan

Nationality: Indonesian

High School: Masa Depan Cerah High School, Surabaya, Indonesia

Year of Entry: 2019

Major and School: Economics, School of Management and Economics

College: Muse

Congratulations to Celine on her first job!

Celine got a return offer from Citibank’s Jakarta Office after her ten-week internship there as a summer analyst in 2022. She expects to graduate from CUHKSZ in May 2023 and start working in July 2023.

Celine thinks an overseas education helps her stand out in the competition. Citibank Jakarta Office accepted seven interns for the summer, and four of them are attending universities overseas. The other three interns are either master’s students or top economics and finance majors candidates at the best Indonesian university. Celine thought Citibank was looking for candidates who were exposed to a global environment and understood the global financial market.

(Celine, second on the right, interned at Citibank Jakarta as a Summer Analyst.)

Among her competitors, there was an Indonesian candidate doing a Master’s degree at a prestigious university in Beijing, China. Still, it was Celine who got the position. Thus, Celine concluded that as long as you show your skill set and potential to the employer, undergraduates are as competitive as postgraduates. 

Celine received much help from the career counseling service at the School of Management and Economics (SME). At SME, every final-year student has a career counselor. Only a few universities in China provide such services to international students. “Career counselors really care about every student’s career planning. You learn how to draft your CV and cover letter through career workshops,” Celine said. She felt grateful to Ms Laila Tungcab, who was her career counselor. “She would email the students who did not contact her and ask how they were getting on.”

Celine is a thoughtful person. “The first academic year at university is all about exploring yourself.” She carefully considered what she likes and wants to do for a career, her advantages and the skills she needs to develop to achieve her goals. Since first-year students at CUHKSZ do not have a major, Celine suggests they try to build something they like. “If you have no clue what to do, try to reach out to the senior students and ask for advice. Do not run away from what you dislike. Try to develop the skills that help you build a stronger self.” 

Celine was not good with public speaking in the first year. She always ran away from presentations in high school, but she decided to do something about it at the university. She joined the SME Toastmasters team to develop her public speaking skills, though winning the prize was not part of the plan. She encourages students to join the workshops and build up their confidence. “Be brave and take the chances!”

(Celine, second on the left, with her teammates for the SME Toastmaster Competition)

CUHKSZ students work very hard. Celine also works hard but thinks GPA is irrelevant to the level of knowledge and skills. “You can still be very ignorant with a high GPA. Your knowledge level may not always reflect on your GPA. Some of us are just not very good with tests.” However, Celine thinks students should nonetheless have a decent GPA. “If your GPA is too low, you probably can not make it to the job interview. Once you get into the interview, you must convince the employers you have the knowledge to do the job,” Celine shared. 

Looking back, Celine wished she had been more patient with herself. “I wish I were not so harsh on myself in the first year. I studied too hard. I guess my advice to the freshmen is don’t miss out on the fun of university life!” Celine laughed.

Listen to Celine’s three tips for moving from high school to university: