Miss University England speaking about the importance of protecting the environment, embracing different cultures and believing in yourself.
Emily’s thoughts post speech: “It was an honour to speak in front of all 1,500 students at this rural school in Vietnam. To see so much passion, happiness and potential in all the students taking part in the English speaking contest and also speaking to every student afterwards was so inspiring! I hope I have managed to equally inspire them to continue studying hard and to go for their dreams!”
The speech:
"As Miss World University England, spreading the importance of education and cultural exchange is something I feel very strongly about.
I graduated from my university with a 1st Class masters degree in Chemical Engineering. As one of the few women in a predominantly male industry, I had to overcome the prejudices of not only my male peers, but also of society. Gaining the top grade from a University in England despite all of the criticisms showed to me that if you put your mind to something you can achieve great things.
I experienced this again when I entered the Miss England Pageant. Many people were critical of my decision to enter, asking why as an engineer I felt the need to enter a beauty pageant. That was precisely why I entered - I wanted to emphasise the fact that we as humans are not 1 dimensional. We can have many interests, even if those interests do not fit in the standard box of what society envisions us to be like.
To be successful in life, it is important to understand and embrace different ways of thinking and different cultures. We can all learn from each other; whether it’s learning a different language (like English here today)or learning how to cook (like I have been taking cooking lessons whilst in Vietnam - your food is amazing).
It’s important to always be curious and always try to show understanding to each other - that is how we can end the stigma and stereotypes around how people should and shouldn’t act, and how we can start to live in a world that is peaceful and inclusive of everyone.
The main message I want to share with you today is that ALL your dreams are possible. There may be many circumstances in your life when people will not agree with what your dream is, or may not understand. But that does not matter.
What matters is that you go for your dreams. ALL of them. Forget what anyone else thinks of them - this is your life and if you want to be a doctor, a farmer, a dancer, a teacher - it is all possible! As long as you work hard, stay curious, respect others and have passion, you will succeed."
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