‘I am the sum of all that I’ve been’: how Mathangi overcame disappointment to receive a Deakin Hallmark in Leadership
Deakin Hallmarks are digital credentials designed to provide evidence of your demonstrated skills and give you an edge in the employment market.
If you’re thinking of applying for a Hallmark but you’re not sure where to begin, take a look at how Deakin student Mathangi Mahalingam tackled her Deakin Hallmarks application.
Mathangi learned some valuable lessons from an initial unsuccessful application for a Hallmark and through maintaining her focus, she ultimately developed her personal and professional skills further to be awarded a well-deserved Deakin Hallmark for her impressive leadership skills.
Recently I received the Deakin Hallmark for Excellence in Leadership. I was both exhilarated and humbled by it. I remember attending a workshop on Deakin Hallmarks by Dr Trina Jorre De St Jorre a year ago and thinking to myself if it was even possible for me to get this award.
I’d never been good at writing reflections. But I realised that reflections are needed to analyse and understand the impact of actions. Actions need to be deliberate, conscious. Since I had this realisation, I became more deliberate by measuring my output and reflecting on the effectiveness of my actions. In this manner, the Deakin Hallmark requirements helped me form a personal benchmark for my actions in the direction of gaining leadership skills.
My role as Team Leader for the Faculty of Business and Law’s mentor drop-in station provided me with a great platform to learn and apply my leadership skills. From introducing me to social media analytics to measure student engagement to creating an original song to celebrate the mentor program, these experiences have all been an amazing journey in teaching me how to create impact through leadership.
Not only did I learn new skills, I also learned more about myself. In addition to developing my interpersonal, organisational and social media skills, I learned what sort of a leader I am and how I would react when faced with a challenge or critical feedback. Through the process, I learned that leadership is not just being in a position of a Team Leader, it is about being a leader. I needed to imbibe and internalise the leader I aspired to be.
The process of applying to the Deakin Hallmark required me to create a digital portfolio and reflect on my leadership journey. The first time I applied in January 2020, I was unsuccessful. But I received feedback from the panel which was extremely useful in understanding what was required and what I needed to improve.
I realised during the process that I am now the sum of all that I have been. Hence, I needed to reflect on my journey from before I even started studying at Deakin to understand the kind of leader I aspired to be. This was very difficult for me. But it was also cathartic!
I reflected on experiences that I had always dismissed as unpleasant to form a new perspective. My friends and colleagues provided feedback on my second Hallmark application draft and how they perceived me as a leader. I changed my application multiple times, with each version becoming better than the previous!
A Deakin Hallmark is an excellent opportunity for students to add to their experiences. It not only acknowledges the skills of a student, but the process is aimed at making students more aware of themselves. This self-awareness is critical for the success of students in future, not only in their careers but also in their lives!
Originally posted by Deakin Life 22 July 2020