By Vanessa Kyalimpa
“People always said that to get an opportunity, you need to have connections, but I have walked through doors without knowing anyone and I have come out victorious.” “By sheer will, determination, focus, and remaining steadfast, all of us have a chance to succeed,” said Cynthia Mpanga, the Head of Corporate Affairs at Standard Chartered Bank, during the general assembly.
The 24th guild government of Uganda Christian University (UCU) held their very first general assembly under the theme, “The need to grow as an accountable and financially sound youth” on September 30 at the Janan Luwum Dining Hall (DH).
Mpanga urged the students to put the five financial disciplines into practice in order to deal with financial stress. Budgeting, staying out of debt, cultivating the appropriate relationships, investing, and lastly, giving, are some of them.
She went on to emphasize that it was crucial for everyone to improve their lives, beginning with the most straightforward actions like preplanning, since if it becomes a habit, it will help you escape poverty.
Kevin Bwana, the Head of Strategy at Aspire Life, who was also a panelist at the assembly, summarized the day’s lessons, which included accountability and financial soundness, using the parable of the talents from Matthew 25:14–30. He exhorted students to study this narrative if they wanted to be productive in this world.
“We have been given different talents and gifts.” “Whatever God has given you, make sure you are productive in whichever sphere of influence, because if you are with the little that He has given you, you will be rewarded with seeds; but if you choose to sit on the talents you have been given, the opportunities, the Bible calls you wicked,” said Bwana.
Participants in the general assembly were representatives of the student body and the 24th guild government. The students noted that the speakers provided a great deal of wisdom, and they were appreciative of what they said.
“This session has made me realize that it is not too early to start doing business.” “I always thought that I still had time to look at only starting my own after finishing school, but this has been an eye opener,” said Angela Auma Abwot, a first-year student pursuing a bachelor of science in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCU.
Auma also said that she is now looking into getting a mentor and learning to be accountable for everything she does. These were also some of the words of wisdom she got from this session.
Naleba Tracy, a law student at UCU, said that she cannot measure how grateful she was for attending the meeting because all she needed was a sign, and she believes this was it.
“I always thought that I didn’t have enough money to start and that it would take me a lifetime to make a good profit out of the business, but listening to the speakers share their life experiences and how they made it in life motivated me to start with whatever I have now,” said Naleba.
The speaker of the 24th guild government, Siima Lisa, said that the general assembly is a constitutional right that is provided for in the guild constitution in Articles 20, 21, and 22.
The general assembly is one of the accomplishments of the 24th guild government under the leadership of Rachel Mirembe Serwadda, and it concluded with the various ministers giving an account of what they had done during their leadership with the offices they held and the students they served.
