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Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood Recipient of Asean Prize 2019 WOU’s Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree 2016
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WOU&Beyond
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Alumni Magazine for Alumni, Staff & Friends
Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood Recipient of Asean Prize 2019 WOU’s Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree 2016
CONTENTS INSIGHTS From the editor From the VC’s desk Flashback: Top achiever of class 2010 A glimpse into Student Council WOU Student Council
01 02 03 04 05
HIGHLIGHTS 06 08 11 12 14
Celebrating camaraderie Recognising excellence Graduation joy Quotes and Sound Bites What’s next after degree?
FEATURES Journey to success Passion and insight Inspiring thoughts – “Be Invested in your personal growth” Academic recognition WOU embraces the Quality in Education Studies comes first for Cheryl Loo Wen Nee Stay Connected I love WOU Budaya Beat! – “Keunikan masyarakat Hainan di Pulau Pinang” Emerging career of the future Let’s have fun!!!
15 16 18 20 21 22 24 27 28 30 31
FUTURE PLANS What’s new? Save the date
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Dear readers, On behalf of the editorial board members, it is with great pleasure, humility and honour that I welcome you to this inaugural first issue of Journal of Cosmetology & Trichology, an international peer-reviewed journal published by OMICS International. The journal has a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary issues reflecting the complexity of cosmetology and trichology. Today, cosmetology and trichology are a very broad research area involving different scientific disciplines ranging from chemistry, to basic sciences and from medicine to marketing. In each of this areas there are different journals dealing with very specific aspects intended for a limited audience. Similarly, interdisciplinary researches are often difficult to publish in specialized journals and part of the aim of Journal of Cosmetology & Trichology is to capture high-quality works that doesn’t clearly fall within the scope of other journals. Once more, on behalf of the editorial board members, I welcome you to this journal. We look forward to your submissions and to publish your manuscripts.
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From the
VC’s Desk All life-forms strive to the max of its potential, except human beings. All life forms strive to the max of its potential, except human beings. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it possibly can. You never heard of a tree growing half as high as it could. No, trees don’t grow half. A tree drives its roots deep as it can, reach as high as it can, produces every leaf it can, every fruit it possibly can to the max. Every life form strives to the max, except human beings. Now, why not human beings? Jot this down. You’ve been given the dignity of choice. You’re not a robot; you don’t have to repeat this year the same as last year. You can tear up last year’s plan, develop a new plan. So the dignity of being a human being. Now here’s the choice on being a human being — to be part of all we were meant to be, or to be all to strive for all, or half, or part, or some, the choice is up to you. Life is not just the passing of time. Life is not just the passing of time. Life is a collection of experiences, their frequency and their intensity. Life is not just watching the clock tick away. Life is a collection of experiences, their intensity and their frequency.
Message from Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr. Lily Chan
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When should you start the day? As soon as you have it finished. Plan the day the best you can, leaving plenty of room for improvising and surprises and all the stuff that happens during the course of the day.
Top Achiever
Yeoh Swee Hoon
Wawasan Open University (WOU) recognised the first academic excellence of its top Commonwealth Executive MBA (CeMBA) graduate with the award of the Chancellor’s Medal in year 2010. WOU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Wong Tat Meng presented the graduation certificate and the first Chancellor’s Medal to recipient Yeoh Swee Hoon, witnessed by a few WOU representatives in attendance. They were Deputy Vice Chancellors Dr Seah Soo Aun (Operations) and Prof Dato’ Dr Ho Sinn Chye (Academic), School of Business and Administration Dean Prof Chee Kim Loy, Registrar Yeong Sik Kheong and Assistant Registar Gomathi Chandrasekaran. Yeoh, 38, had scored a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.75 to emerge top among the graduating
class of 38 CeMBA students. She could not join her classmates for the convocation at the main campus last October as she was overseas on work assignment. She is currently the Manager of the Credit and Marketing division at ORIX Leasing Malaysia Bhd, Penang and has been attached to the company - which incidentally is her first employer - for 15 years. Besides her CeMBA qualifications, she holds a BSc (Hons) in Economics from the University of London (1995). Yeoh was initially caught by surprise by the honour as she thought she was an average student since most of the fields were totally new to her, especially manufacturing and operations. She attributed the secret of her success to “consistency, persistence and determination” and
the support of her coursemates, tutors, Course Coordinators, and family. She however prefers to keep her achievements low profile and is hesitant to explore promotions in her job right now due to her commitments to her aged parents with whom she resides. “For me, knowledge is what we acquire for ourselves, not for other people.” As to how the CeMBA qualification is benefiting her in her current job, Yeoh quipped, “It helps me to look at the different perspectives when I meet up with customers, or when I have to analyse a case.”
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For me, knowledge is what we acquire for ourselves, not for other people.
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A glimpse into
Student Council
2019/20
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SOCIAL MED
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IA TEAM
MONTH
LY AC TIV
IT Y TEA
M
written by Ms. Christine Khoo
Advisor, Student Council
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The Student Council Members 2019
Celebrating Women’s Day
A Night To Remember
Jalan-Jalan to Ipoh
Cultural Dance
Halloween Nite
Making Rangoli During Deepavali
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Alumni g a Pak Quah thering at ’s Roastin g House
Inn in Harvest Luncheon lumni 2010 A by CeMBA
Celebrating ness g and Busi Accountin 15 gathering in 0 students 2 aurant st e R e Monro
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Alumni 2011 , 2012 & 2014 at of one of the ODL students tending the wedding ce remony , Tamil Chelvi
Camaraderie
CeMBA Alumni 2014 with WOU Management Staff
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SA
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Recognising Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Memorial Gold Prize Best ODL Postgraduate This award is something very special to me. It will definitely inspire and motivate me to continue to strive and be more successful in the future.
Chay Foo Soon Master in Education
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Excellence Chancellor’s Gold Medal Best ODL Undergraduate
I am very grateful to WOU for giving me the opportunity as well as providing holistic and relevant learning experience.
Tan Jin Yong Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Banking & Finance
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Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik Memorial Gold Prize Best OCL Undergraduate
This award is something very special to me. It will definitely inspire and motivate me to continue to strive and be more successful in the future.
Michelle Tan Cheng Hooi Hooi Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Management
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Graduation
JOY
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Raise the biggest family ~ Georgia Johnson ~ Raise the biggest family ~ Georgia Johnson ~
Raise the biggest family ~ Georgia Johnson ~
Raise the biggest family ~ Georgia Johnson ~
Quotes & Sound Become an olympian ~ Isla Manning ~
from Gr
Become the next prime minister ~ Georgia Johnson ~
Be a billionaire ~ Isla Manning ~
Travel the world ~ Georgia Johnson ~
Run with the circus ~ Georgia Johnson ~
Become an olympian ~ Isla Manning ~
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Become the next prime minister ~ Georgia Johnson ~
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Raise the biggest family ~ Georgia Johnson ~ Raise the biggest family ~ Georgia Johnson ~
Raise the biggest family ~ Georgia Johnson ~
& Good
d Bites
raduates
Become an olympian ~ Isla Manning ~
Become an ~ Isla M olympian anning ~
Become the next prime minister ~ Georgia Johnson ~
Be a billionaire ~ Isla Manning ~
Travel the world ~ Georgia Johnson ~
Run with the circus ~ Georgia Johnson ~
Become an olympian ~ Isla Manning ~
Become the next prime minister ~ Georgia Johnson ~
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The convocation ceremony was amazing, the feeling of pride and happiness was overwhelming, and everyone was smiling, your friends and family are proud of you! You like the feeling, that sense of accomplishment, that power that you can do anything you set your mind to and you pulled it off. Congratulations! All your hard work has paid off. You were diligent, focused and goal-oriented, now you reaped your reward, you have earned your bachelor’s degree. The degree has given you the edge to set out and land a good job, your dream job. For those who are already working, you now have the knowledge and the qualification to go further in your career. The promotion is yours to score. You are happy and life is good.
But life is also rapidly changing with all the new technologies developing around us. You begin to think; How do I keep up? How do I become even more successful? What can be beneficial for my career in the long run? Your mind is racing staring at the screen of your smart phone, your thoughts spin to include the following; I need to have a better idea of the market, create better career opportunities for myself. But maybe I want to switch career? Should I take the risk? What should I do?
written by Dr. Ooi Chia Yi
School of Humanities and Social Sciences Now, clear your mind to answer the most important question “how to go forward?” I was there wearing the same shoes, stuck in the same situation, standing in the same position where I did not know what to do and where the road leads to. So what did I do? I looked at my options and I searched for information. I needed to decide on what I want to pursue and if the options I have are viable and open for me to choose. Breaking it down to the core, there are 2 main paths available to you after graduation. One is to get employed in a full-time job and if you are already working, stay where you are and work harder to gain valuable working experience. But as a student who was enrolled in the Online Distance Learning mode, you have had the
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experience of juggling work and part-time study to your advantage. This leads to the second path, which is to pursue a part-time postgraduate degree. You might think, “oh boy, here we go again!” but remember that it is better to be over-qualified rather than under-qualified. The reality in our local job market is not only it is very competitive but the number of bachelor degree holders are in abundance. You are one in the statistics. Pursuing a postgraduate degree will provide you with brighter career prospects and advancement. For example, you can pursue a cross discipline Master’s degree in the area that complements your existing knowledge and qualification. For instance, if your Bachelor’s degree is in Sales and Marketing, now you can pursue a Master in Psychology that will open more doors for you in terms of your career potentials and your employability. Another reason to pursue a postgraduate degree is to delve into teaching in higher learning institutions as a new career. In order to go far in teaching, you would need to equip yourself with a postgraduate degree, which is the prerequisite to teaching. If you choose the second path, it will cost time, money and commitment. Therefore, you need to make sure that this investment will fit in your long-term plan for what you want out of your life. Remember that it is not easy to choose but also be rest assured that there is no right or wrong answer. It is your call in deciding the next step and it is your responsibility to find out your available options and search for the information. Reach the destination you want to be in your life, the choice is for you to decide. Nothing is out of reach if you take that step to grab it! All the best!
Special Highlights
WOU’s Alumni,
the First Malaysian Awarded Asean Prize Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood
Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, the recipient of WOU’s Honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 2016 has been presented with the Asean prize, making her the first Malaysian recipient of the award. She received the recognition for her role in various humanitarian missions and disaster management in the region. The ceremony of Asean prize was held during the opening ceremony of the 35th Asean Summit and Related Summits in Bangkok on 3 November 2019. Dr. Jemilah received a trophy and a cash prize of US$20,000 from Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chano-cha and Asean secretary general Datuk Lim Jock Hoi. Dr. Jemilah pledged to donate the prize to the Surin Pitsuwan Foundation, a philanthropic organisation in Thailand which focuses on education, diplomacy and human security
in ASEAN, and the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, a voluntary humanitarian organisation and part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood is an obstetrician and gynaecologist by training with more than 25 years of experience in the medical field. In 1999, she founded MERCY Malaysia, a humanitarian organisation which provided emergency healthcare in more than 15 countries facing disasters and conflict. From 2009 to 2011, Dr Jemilah headed the humanitarian branch at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in New York, focusing on reproductive healthcare, genderbased violence, and population data in emergencies.
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We live in a safe and prosperous Asian region. Economically, there are many opportunities here but there are also high risks of disaster.
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Passion & Insight An Interview with Founding Vice Chancellor
Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Dr Gajaraj Dhanarajan Described as a visionary, a guide, a humanitarian and a friend, Tan Sri Emeritus Prof Dr Gajaraj Dhanarajan has championed access to quality learning on the regional and world stages for over four decades. Tan Sri Raj or — or Raj as he is fondly known to peers, friends and family — was involved in the creation of WOU right from the beginning, serving as initiator, chief architect and main developer. He retired from the office of Vice Chancellor in December 2009 at the age of 70, and from his position
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as Chairman of the University’s Board of Governors on 28 February 2017, the year he turns 78. His legacy is inextricably entwined with the prodigious success of Wawasan Open University within just ten years of its founding. Tan Sri Raj has been central to the leadership of WOU, as institutional planner, thinker and founding Vice Chancellor. He has held many formal and informal roles in the boards and committees in WOU and society at
large. He was the man behind many of the academic milestones achieved by WOU and always emphasised that by being affordable and equitable, WOU can keep faith with its mission and vision to lead the cause of education for all. He also relinquished his other University positions on 31 December 2016, namely as Honorary Director of WOU’s Institute for Research and Innovation (IRI), and as Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Centre for Dialogue (C4D).
A forest entomologist at the beginning of his illustrious career, Tan Sri Raj has certainly veered off course. He entered the academic field, stamping his mark to become an internationally-renowned educator and advocate for open and distance education. He has worn many hats — researcher, academic, mentor, colleague, leader, sought-after keynote speaker at many major academic conferences, among others. His vast involvement and helming of educational institutions locally and abroad plus his passion for providing educational opportunities to people have stood the test of time. Even before he got involved with WOU, he had made significant contributions to institutions which he had helmed, with the Open University of Hong Kong and the Commonwealth of Learning being two shining examples. Tell us about the vision and purpose for setting up Wawasan Open University? Formed collectively with Wawasan Education Foundation (WEF), especially its President, late Tun Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, founding staff of WOU and me, and agreed by the Board of Directors, the council, WEF, and founding staff of WOU, it was spelt in clear unambiguous language. The visions are; Higher Education Institution that will serve all Malaysians regardless of many barriers in term of social, economic and academic to achieve their individual aspirations of tertiary level education. Next, an institution that captures the best ideals of openness in both policy and practice and finally to create a community of scholars for the singular purpose of pursuing scholarship at its best.
location of the study, their prior learning experiences, affordable learning, skills development for staff and engage the community in an open, honest and transparent way. What were the challenges you face during your tenure as founding vice chancellor in Wawasan Open University? Based on my past experience, the issues that confronted me were the transition of governance from a community-based group to an ownership based, the quality of academic staff and the commitment as a quality provider to share the values on the University purpose and mission. What values and principles have driven you professionally at Wawasan Open University? Dedication of 35 years in open learning, I was blessed to benefit from the mentorship of educators who were leaders in the field across the world. During these days, I also had the opportunity to lead and be part of
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The values and principles that have guided me are simple human values of honesty, integrity, be true to purpose, fairness, respect one’s colleagues and their views.
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founding teams of a couple of distance learning institutions. The values and principles that have guided me are simple human values of honesty, integrity, be true to purpose, fairness, respect one’s colleagues and their views. Also, respect the student who his/her life’s chances with you and your institution, be colour blind and a listener. Set your own standards and observe them for the good of the institution and its clients.
What do you see as the core strength of the University? Certainly the commitment to the delivery of a learning experience for our students, disregarding the
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Inspiring Thoughts
Integrity The Cornerstone of Success
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I am sure that from an early age, people have told you to be honest and truthful. Even in my entrepreneurial life, the best piece of advice I have ever been given was when someone very successful once told me that to be effective, I must always conduct myself with integrity. Author C.S Lewis said, “…integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching” and management guru Stephen R. Covey asserted that “… moral authority comes from following universal and timeless principles like honesty, integrity, treating people with respect”.
losing their integrity through lying or stealing or infidelity, seems to be at an all-time high. We have witnessed the likes of politicians, celebrities, religious figures, and a wide range of people who have held esteemed positions fall from grace due to a lack of honesty. Perhaps to a lesser extent, in your own life, there have been instances where you have hidden the truth, or failed to admit your mistakes, or walked dangerously down the path of duplicity. I know I have had to deal with these situations. Why do people waver even though they know that integrity is so necessary?
However, integrity seems to be a rare commodity in current times. The occurrences of prominent figures
In 2015, Oliver Sheldon, an expert in organisational behavior at Rutgers University, and Ayelet Fishbach, a
social psychologist at the University of Chicago, studied the dynamics that impact self-control in ethical decisionmaking. The researchers created experiments to examine the thoughts that occur in people just before they made an ethical decision. They then recorded the behaviour of groups of participants during the exercise after the individuals were given different combinations of prompts, designed to activate thoughts of either past temptation or social and moral integrity. They learned that forewarning the participants did help them prepare to proactively offset the influence of any ethical temptations on their behaviour. An interesting pattern emerged through this research. It seems that if you successfully recall a previous transgression, it is a little less likely that you will repeat your mistake. This led them to propose that if you actively think about your past actions, it helps you better anticipate any temptation of doing something dishonest. But this recall technique does not necessarily prevent you from being dishonest. The second
pattern that emerged is that even
decent, honourable choices, and
to figure out how much personal
when people anticipate temptation,
intelligent ethical decisions. I know
integrity they have. I know that for
they are less likely to resist if they
from experience that behaving with
the success of my businesses, I need
think their decision will have no
integrity is a top priority, especially if
team members with a strong work
impact on their future integrity, social
you want to progress in your work-
ethic that is founded on uprightness.
acceptance, or self-image. This means
life. For example, I usually meet
Therefore, one of my first tasks upon
that if people think they can get away
organisational leaders before I start
selecting a new hire is to ask them to
with doing something dishonest and
any leadership coaching for members
answer these questions below, at the
not get caught, they might still do it.
of their team. In this meeting, I try
end of every work day, so that they
I figure this is why we all succumb,
and find out what results they want.
remind themselves of how important
sometimes.
Leaders consistently place reliability,
being upright is.
trustworthiness,
and
honesty
as
In her book, “Integrity; Doing the Right
their highest requirements for their
Thing for the Right Reason”, Barbara
staff. Everytime I interview someone
Shankar R. Santhiram
Killinger,
psychologist,
for a job in my businesses, I will
Entrepreneur, Management
suggests that integrity is a personal
look at their communication ability
Consultant and Leadership Coach,
choice. It is an internal guide or state
and problem-solving acumen but
Radio Personality, and Author
of being that leads you to making
my primary focus has always been
a
clinical
1 Were you too critical, impatient, impulsive or rigid in any of your interactions?
Did you “neglect to tell the truth” at any time today?
6 Did you say “Yes” when you really should have said “No”?
2 How would you rate your self-control today?
7 Did you promise to do or commit to something, and then didn’t deliver?
3 Did you resist a temptation to do something unethical, or to act improperly?
8 Did you mislead someone by agreeing to do something in less time than is realistic?
4 How strong is your sense of duty as revealed in your behaviour today?
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Did you do the “right thing” despite the fear of negative consequences?
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Did you consider the impact of your behaviour on other people before you acted?
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Your answers to these 10 questions will tell if you have integrity. Remember, integrity is the cornerstone of success.
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Shankar R. Santhiram 19
academic
Recognition
Siswapreneur 2019
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The Higher Education Ministry targets that by 2020, 15% of students will venture into entrepreneurship while they are still pursuing studies at institutions of higher education, with five percent of them having the primary goal of becoming entrepreneurs upon graduating.
Dr Yap said the entrepreneurship programmes in higher education institutions under the Entrepreneurship Action Plan 2016– 2020, were carried out with the concept of “Learn and Earn” with an opportunity to earn personal income while studying.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Mary Yap Kain Ching said over 60% of students in higher education institutions were actively involved in entrepreneurship activities and programmes, and three percent had become entrepreneurs while pursuing their tertiary education.
She said the Siswapreneur Showcase programme, which is the first in its series, for example, was among the ministry’s initiatives to expose the students to the real world of entrepreneurship so that they would be prepared to put their entrepreneurial knowledge and skills into practice.
“We are referring to the framework where we want our students not to be job seekers but to be job creators,” she told reporters after launching the Siswapreneur Showcase 2017 programme last Monday.
The programme, which involves over 50 students-cum-entrepreneurs from several institutions, including Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Tanjong Karang Community College, would be
held in a series, with the next one to be held in Kuala Lumpur in June. Dr Yap said the entrepreneurship programmes in higher education institutions under the Entrepreneurship Action Plan 2016 –2020, were carried out with the concept of “Learn and Earn” with an opportunity to earn personal income while studying. She said the Siswapreneur Showcase programme, which is the first in its series, for example, was among the ministry’s initiatives to expose the students to the real world of entrepreneurship so that they would be prepared to put their entrepreneurial knowledge and skills into practice. — Bernama
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Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.
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WOU embraces the
Quality in Education written by Dr. Andy Liew
Director of Quality Assurance and Government Relations Wawasan Open University (WOU) is Malaysia’s first private university located in Penang, Malaysia. The University was founded on the belief that education is a universal right and should be made available to all. It was established in accordance with the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555) and adhered strictly to all the regulations of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). In line with the principles of good and transparent governance, the functions, structure, leadership, membership and reporting protocols of the major permanent decisionmaking bodies are clearly defined in the WOU Constitution. WOU has put in place a governance structure that reflects international good practice, one that is underpinned by a culture of openness, transparency, accountability and academic excellence. The Vision of WOU is to be a vibrant community that inspires life-long learning, supports innovation and nurtures all-round personal growth. This Vision is infused in its Mission statement which declares that the University is committed to the expansion of opportunities in higher education and to teaching excellence aimed at increasing the level of knowledge and scholarship among Malaysians of all ages. In internalising quality assurance, WOU adopts an approach to problem solving that goes beyond fixing
the symptoms and it addresses the causes of problems. In this context, WOU manages change, develops new ways of thinking and respond to changing conditions and expectations. WOU also uses a systematic approach that cuts across the departmental (academic and administrative) boundaries, relying largely on the collective effort of multidisciplinary teams to build a quality culture from within. The university will continuously strive to ensure that its curricula are relevant to the principles and ideals of life-long learning. The programmes offered will be utilitarian in character. This is in support of the nation’s
desire to provide higher education opportunities in the changing context of the new national economic model. Graduates with high level of relevant knowledge and skills are needed in place of the previously low cost labour intensive production workforce. It is our expectations that industry, business and Government should find our programmes and courses aligning to their requirements. Although WOU differs in its philosophy and in the delivery of education, the University offers students an alternate mode of receiving higher education through Open Distance Learning (ODL). In all other aspects it operates as a typical Malaysian university that upholds the quality of education.
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Studies Comes First for Cheryl Loo Wen Nee
Top 10 Finalist of Miss International Tourism 2019 Aiming to be a good role model and a successful trainer to groom the next generation, Cheryl Loo realised that a good education is the way to achieve her goal. With that in mind, she has worked hard to attain high grades in her studies and at the same time, juggling with her modelling career. The lovely 23-year-old and multitalented student, born and bred in Penang has what it takes to get where she wants to go from a simple person to a beautiful model and beauty pageant finalist. Cheryl Loo who is also a lifestylefood-beauty blogger has recently represented Malaysia in Miss International Tourism 2019, and made
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it into the Top 10 finalist. She also won the subsidiary titles for Gintell Wellness, Miss Glamorous Carlo Rino and Miss Glorious Beautiful. She is now setting her sights on continuing her ultimate passion and goal to represent Malaysia internationally in other beauty pageants and subsequently contributing to charities around the country. After completing her STPM, a friend introduced Wawasan Open University (WOU) to Cheryl who was looking for a suitable higher education institution to enrol herself in. Her desire to continue living close to her family in Penang, and getting a quality education with affordable fees made WOU her choice.
Working towards her degree and participating in the beauty pageant simultaneously, this Business in Marketing student from Wawasan Open University proved that you could make all your dreams come true with just a bit of faith and determination. Her studies were always her priority despite a busy working schedule. She attended all her classes and focused on the lectures. “I have never neglected my studies. Studying hard and graduating with a degree will ensure a better future for myself”, said Cheryl Loo in her recent interview. As she doesn’t have much time to study at home due to her busy working schedule, she always pays attention and concentrates in class. “My learning experience in WOU has prepared me for my future working life. My social and communication skills have improved. I also learned how to market and create my own branding from the courses I took such as Marketing Communication, Entrepreneurship, Social Media Marketing and Marketing Project. With this knowledge, I have confidently taken part in hosting and managing events.”, added Cheryl. With the support from her peers, as well as her lecturers, she was able to participate in the beauty pageant and still doing well in her studies. Her modelling agent also helped to organised her schedule around her studies. Being an ambitious and a believer in lifelong learning, she plans to continue her Master in Business Marketing with WOU in the near future. Cheryl ended the interview by sharing her inspiring thought ...
W When you have a dream, just go for it. Do not think much and don’t be afraid. 23
Cynthia Goh Sin Pei
Stay
Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Banking and Finance (2011) Why WOU? Tell us your learning journey & what you like most about WOU. I wasn’t a very good person to begin with. I flunked out of my previous university. One day, my dad recommended WOU to me and it has changed my life. WOU gave me an opportunity to study and advance in my career. Without WOU, I will not be as what I am today. A degree is basically a requirement for a career in financial institution. The learning journey is tough, as I have to juggle with both worlds. But it provides the flexibility for me to work while pursuing my studies.
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It’s going to be hard, but hard doesn’t mean impossible.
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Tell us about your career now/ challenges and the interesting project you are working on (if any)? My first job was in Insurance as a life underwriter. I was lucky to be hired as an executive even without a degree. After 8 years, I’m currently leading the Model Risk Management team, which is a niche team in Asia (for insurance), let alone Malaysia. As many companies are moving towards artificial intelligence and computer assisted enhancement to strategy, business and processes, it opens a whole new type of risk and ways for its management to grow and develop its career. How did WOU prepare for your career advancement? WOU gave me an opportunity to move forward and upwards. It paved to my success in terms of qualifications and insights. The
lecturers are helping people with down to earth experience and this had helped me to be successful in my studies and enabled me to grow in my career with little challenges. In your spare time? Tell us about your hobbies or social activities you have involved in? My job requires me to strive for improvement and keep myself up to date. . Hence, I’m still pursuing my professional papers and qualifications. As a lecturer in a private institute I do concentrate on both my studies and teaching. Sometimes I get invited to be a guest trainer for some certification programmes. When I have more time, I fiddle my violin or work out the stress in my gym. Sounds boring and cliché but that’s what you settle down to as you age. Your future plan. Wherever life takes me. I’ll proceed with my professional career in a financial institution until I retire. But after I retire, I would want to move to the countryside and open a sanctuary for abused/abandon dogs. That is my ultimate plan. Your advice for current WOU students. Life is tough. But face every challenges with a laugh and keep going. If you are tired, slow down your footstep but still step forward towards your goal. Nothing is worth giving up for as you live for yourself and for the ones you love. Years later when you look back, you will be surprised how much you have grown and fought through.
Connected Rameshkumar a/l Rasappan
Master of Business Administration in Manufacturing and Production Management, 2015 Why WOU? Tell us your learning journey & what you like most about WOU. I came across an article about WOU in a newspaper offering various courses for working adults. It was a good news for me because I have a desire to do my further studies. It all started in 2015, where I enrolled for MBA in Manufacturing and Production Management (MPM) course. The first semester was very difficult for me as I struggled to manage my time. Besides, I was about to give up and wanted to withdraw from my studies until my WOU friends advised me not to give up so easily. With the support of the WOU tutors and classmates, I continued my MBA with passion. The most beautiful part of WOU was the weekend classes and it was so convenient for me because it does not affect my work. I completed my studies and graduated in November 2018. Tell us about your career now/ challenges and the interesting project you are working on (if any)? I’m a Technical Executive working in an electronics company. I am in charge of a team of young engineers and my job is to manage projects involving automation. To be honest, all of my engineers hold degrees and this has motivated me to further my studies. Currently, I am involved in a project to automate the manual assembly process. The entire production line
requires a lot of manpower as it is done manually. My goal is to reduce the number of employees from 12 to 2 only. It’s really an exciting project but at the same time there are a lot of challenges. As a project leader, I have to work with various divisions and vendors to execute this project. How did WOU prepare for your career advancement? With the knowledge I gained throughout my studies, it built a lot of confidence in me to interact with higher ranking people and making a contribution to my management. Instead, I realise that today I am a different person and I am humbled because I learned so many new things during my research and I am still learning. All the credits go to WOU, the tutors and my project supervisor. In your spare time? Tell us about your hobbies or social activities you have involved in? My hobbies are listening to music, jogging and recently added one more which is motorbike riding. Although I do not join any motorbike clubs but I’m still enjoying my solo ride.
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Your future plan. At the moment, I’m focusing on my work and spending more time with my family members. It is always in my mind to go for doctorate but financially, I’m not ready yet. However, I would like to do part time tutoring as this is how I’m going to contribute to the society. With the vast industrial experience, I believe I could deliver and coach the future generations. Your advice for current WOU students. Always set a higher goal in your life and never stop learning. No matter what field you are in, do your best and do not give up easily. Life is full of challenges and you must have the courage to overcome all the obstacles and achieve what you want.
If your goals don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.
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Meklean Joenet Anak Albert Anggang Bachelor of Technology (Honours) in Electronics, 2010 Share with us what you like about WOU. I chose WOU because of two reasons. Firstly, at that time (2011), there were no higher learning universities in Kuching that offer distance learning or at least part-time study particularly in Electrical & Electronic Engineering. Secondly, I like the concept of distance learning that WOU has provided where I can pursue my study without the need to quit my job for a full-time study. At the beginning of my study in WOU, I worked very hard to sharpen my rusty brain again after 12 years since graduating with a Diploma. I enrolled in some easy subjects (low credits) and studied hard to score all As. This was important to keep my motivation high and kept me going until the finish line. Being a part-time student was not easy. As a family man, I had to divide my time between my family, job, and study. I went through the mental agony of finishing up all assignments on time without delay. Fortunately, all my tutors were very supportive and helpful. The good thing about WOU is that they have a forum for every subject where the students can interact with their tutors and course coordinators to discuss anything related to the subject. Finally, all the hustles paid off. In 2015, I graduated from WOU with a Bachelor of
Technology (Honors) in Electronics with Distinction. I think I was the only student who got the distinction for the course at that time which is something I am very proud of. Tell us about your career and how did WOU prepare for your career advancement? Currently, I am working as an engineer in the wafer fabrication semiconductor industry in Kuching for almost 16 years. Unlike any other electronic semiconductors field, wafer fabrication is a high-tech industry that requires a higher working standard because of the high-class cleanroom environment and expensive products. We need to be extremely careful when performing our job as we deal with toxic chemicals and gases every day. We can’t afford to make any mistake. Another challenge I (and almost all colleagues) faced during our early working days was to get used to working in the cleanroom for long hours. But this is not an issue anymore. We always have projects every year but rather than working as an individual, we do the project as a team. So, I don’t experience any real difficulty as the tasks are distributed equally to everyone in the team. During my study in WOU, I learned a
lot of new things related to my field. I found that some of the topics in the subject that I learned from the course really improved my troubleshooting skills in the workplace. I get a ton of valuable knowledge about my field. Studing in WOU also helps me improve my technical knowledge and my way of thinking and approaching the problems. In my spare time ... I am very obsessed with the Internet marketing field although it has nothing to do with my current job. I spend a lot of time during my spare time to build my online business (website) as well as becoming a virtual assistant as a website editor to someone in the Internet marketing space. Your future plan. My plan is to keep on working and to give my best to my current employer, while at the same time building my passive online income. Your advice for current WOU students. Never give up! Don’t study hard but study smart. What I mean by this is most of you probably have a full-time job and time is your challenge. So, you need to choose wisely which topic of the subject that easy for you first. Get better at it and then focus on the difficult one. Your tutors are your best friends. Don’t afraid to ask questions even though it may sound stupid. Ask until you 99% understand the subject well because once you understand them, it will be easy for you to answer the questions in your exam.
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Never let your fear decide your future.
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our own study time and place as long as we have access to Internet. Besides, the fees are reasonable and there is also financial support provided by WOU such as credit card 0% installment plan, WEF and Penang State Education loan. As mother of two kids and a working woman, I did not know it will be such a challenge to continue my life as a student again. In WOU, I have not only learnt about the subjects, but also the computer skills, relationship between people and communications skills. I believe that you too will learn something along the way even when you not able to get a good result in academic.
I
WOU
by Adeline Ong Boon Hoe
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As a mother of two kids and a working woman, I did not know it will be such a challenging to continue my life as student again.
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Going to University has always been my dream since I was small. I always believe that graduates have more opportunities than those who don’t as education can change one’s. Even though I was only a mediocre student from primary to secondary school, I have always worked hard and completed my homework, I dreamt of getting high scores and pursued my studies in higher education even though I’m an average learner. However, I did not give up and finally enrolled myself in WOU in September 2018. WOU is the right choice for working adults because of its online distance learning. Thus, we can have
In the beginning, it was tough as I do not even know how to start. However, for the past 2 semesters, I managed to get the desired results. I attended many seminars and workshops organised by WOU and that really helped me in my studies and life. Besides, when I don’t have any idea at all, I get my family members to discuss about my subject matter. Do you know, I even asked my kids how to use Microsoft Word to insert shapes. Apart from my family, my tutors have also helped me in my studies. One of my favourite tutors in WOU is Mr. Alax Tan Seng Aun. He is very knowledgeable, willing to help and always approachable. In my opinion, to score a good grade, preparing TMA as soon as the semester begin and not delaying to the last minutes would be the best way. And we should not miss out the tutorial classes. Attending tutorials enables you to interact and discuss your study with your peers and tutor. Besides this, take a break in between your study time to keep you going and do take part in sport activities. As for me, I choose to play badminton weekly to keep myself fit and healthy.
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B
udaya eat!
“Keunikan masyarakat Hainan di Pulau Pinang Keunikan masyarakat Hainan di Pulau Pinang mungkin kurang dikenali, namun masyarakat masih wujud dalam kalangan penduduk negeri ini yang kaya dengan pelbagai budaya dan warisan tersendiri. Tokong Hainan Pulau Pinang, yang lebih dikenali sebagai Tokong Thean Hou Kong, terletak di Jalan Muntri Georgetown Pulau Pinang. Tokong Thean Hou Kong dibiayai dan dibina oleh sekumpulan imigran Cina dari Pulau Hainan yang mendedikasikan tokong tersebut kepada Dewi Mazu (juga dikenali sebagai Ma Chor Po) yang merupakan seorang pelindung laut kepada nelayan. Perantau yang selamat dari lintasan laut dari Pulau Hainan akan mengunjungi tokong untuk memberi penghargaan kepada Dewi Mazu bagi mereka memastikan selamat dalam perjalanan.
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Masyarakat Hainan di George Town telah mendirikan tokong untuk Dewi Mazu pada tahun 1866. Tokong Thean Hou Kong kemudiannya dipindahkan ke Lebuh Muntri pada tahun 1895 yang dibiayai oleh masyarakat setempat di Pulau Pinang. Sumbangan sedemikian sedikit sebanyak telah meningkatkan perkembangan masyarakat Hainan di Pulau Pinang. Pada tahun 1925, Persatuan Kheng Chew Hooi Kuan telah dibentuk di Tokong Hainan sebagai pejabat operasi sehingga kini. Nama Kheng Chew Hooi merujuk kepada sebuah kampung di Pulau Hainan. Nama ini diubah kepada Persatuan kaum Hainan pada tahun 1991 kerana
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pandangan kumpulan tersebut telah berubah demi meluaskan keanggotaan masyarakat Hainan kepada semua penduduk Pulau Pinang dengan tujuan untuk memperingati asal usul masyarakat Hainan.
Seperti persatuan Kaum Cina yang lain, Persatuan Kheng Chew Hooi Kuan telah menjalankan pelbagai aktiviti kebajikan untuk membantu ahli komuniti mereka. Yang paling utama adalah projek penubuhan Sekolah Aik Hua pada tahun 1955 yang dibina bersebelahan dengan Tokong Hainan. Persatuan ini juga telah satu menubuhkan Yayasan (biasiswa), sebuah hospital dan Dewan Persidangan Cina Pulau Pinang (gabungan bersama persatuan lain di Pulau Pinang). Tokong Hainan dibuka kepada orang awam dan para pelancong. Terdapat empat ciri yang paling menarik di Tokong Thean Hou Kong antaranya adalah: • Ukiran batu yang unik di hadapan bangunan yang diukir oleh tukang ukir dari China pada tahun 1995.
• Tokong utama untuk Dewi Mazu. • Tokong di bahagian kiri ditujukan kepada Dewi Shui Wei. • Menurut cerita masyarakat Hainan, tempat suci di bahagian kanan telah didedikasikan kepada 108 pengembara yang terkorban dalam serangan lanun ketika memulakan kehidupan baru di Vietnam.
Populariti masyarakat Hainan turut melibatkan makanan kegemaran masyakat Malaysia iaitu Nasi Ayam Hainan. Populariti Nasi Ayam Hainan telah pun awal memasuki ke negara Singapura sekitar awal abad ke-20 dan kemudiannya melalui kaum Cina di Ipoh, Melaka, Kuala Lumpur dan Pulau Pinang seterusnya ke seluruh negeri di Malaysia.
http://www.malaysialife.org/penang-hainan-temple/ https://template.yeshlabs.com/business/?webID=MTA4
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Top 5
Emerging
Career st 21century in the
DATA SCIENTISTS
What’s New in the 21st Century? A set of new economic opportunities has ushered in competitiveness and workers prosperity is tied tightly to the education and skill attainment of the workforce. Involvement of everyone such as employers, educators and trainers, unions, workers, and the government, is being stressed to build aggressively and purposefully upon the nation’s progress. Dynamic partnerships are essential to ensuring that all have affordable and convenient access to acquiring skills for the 21st century economy. The economics health of the nation and individual well-being rest on the success of this team effort. Development in technology had led to careers which were once not even perceived. Traditional careers like doctors, engineers are still in demand but a new breed of careers are more in vogue and are being more pursued by the young generation. Careers that emerged are in fields of biotechnology, laser, robotics, information technology, telecommunications, information management, computer, aerospace, medical technology and superconductivity technology. Selfemployment and small business developments are becoming a more often norm than big business. Career changes have become more frequent because of rapidly changing organisations and industries.
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Demand for data science skills is growing exponentially as it is crucial to extract knowledge and insight from data captured by companies.
ROBOTICS ENGINEERS Robotics has been around for decades but current technological breakthrough in areas such as AI, Internet of Things, Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), cloud computing and big data analytics has generated demand in sectors such as food and beverage, logistics and consumer markets.
PHYSIOTHERAPISTS Physiotherapists enjoy high employability as their skills are integral to the rehabilitation of patients who have either suffered a stroke, had a knee replacement, heart bypass surgery. In addition, they treat and minimise physical disabilities associated with injury, disease and other impairments.
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS The country is in need of qualified professional accountants to meet the demand for 60,000 by next year. With the development of digital technology, the role of accountants will be more challenging as they will use sophisticated and smart technologies such as software systems including cloud computing to enhance traditional ways of working.
DIGITAL MARKETERS With exponential growth of the Internet, firms have more opportunities to communicate with their target audience. Consumers are also highly intelligent and take well to online marketing as it is the medium most relatable to them. Digital marketing is becoming a sought after career in a borderless environment.
Sources: https://www.nst.com.my/education/2019/02/459776/jobs-future-top-five-emergingcareers and https://targetstudy.com/articles/new-careers-in-the-21st-century.html
The Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management human resource adviser Geh Thuan Hooi said the programme of choice must be relevant now and in the future or graduates risk being left behind. “With the advent of Industry 4.0 where artificial intelligence (AI) will replace many present jobs, anything related to data analytics, information technology and robotics are good fields to venture into.
“Jobs requiring a high sense of creativity and decisiveness will be much sought after. Those with a strong mindset, who are persistent and not afraid to fail, as well as team players will make it in the future,” he added. Higher Ed looks at the top five emerging careers — data scientist, robotics engineer, physiotherapist, certified account and digital marketer — with a promising future.
Let’s have
FUN!!!
Rules and Regulations 1. This contest is open to all WOU Alumni and students. 2. Limited to one person per entry. 3. Closing date for submission is by 31st January 2020. Entries received after this date will not be accepted and will be disqualified. 4. The Organizer reserves the right to modify the contest mechanisms, withdraw or terminate this Contest at any time at its sole and absolute discretion without prior notices to any person.
Across 4. Asean prize winner 2019 6. Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu Memorial Gold Prize winner 8. I am working as an engineer at Kuching. 9. Founding Vice Chancellor 10. WOU embraces the quality in education is by __________.
Down 1. Student council president 2. Location of WOU main campus 3. Top 10 finalist of Miss International Tourism 5. __________ is the cornerstone of success. 7. Budaya Beat disclosed about __________.
ive Attract
prizes n!
o to be w First prize
2D1N Hotel Stay at the Parkroyal Penang Resort (including breakfast for 2 person)
Second Prize Buffet Dinner for 2 person at the Tamarind Brasserie, Parkroyal Penang Resort
Third Prize Buffet Lunch for 2 person at the Tamarind Brasserie, Parkroyal Penang Resort
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SAVE THE
DATE mark your calendar
Venue: Lecture Theater 1, Auditorium Dr. Lim Keng Yeik Time : 2.15pm – 5.00pm
Venue: Lecture Teater 2 Time : 3.00pm - 5.30pm
* Limited seats available
Date: 3 January 2020 Venue: Seminar Room 1 Time : 6.00pm – 8.00pm * Limited seats available
Date: 4 & 5 January 2020 Venue: Seminar Room 3 Time : 9.00am – 6.00pm
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Gent iscilleste et et aut odias moditature aut laut eaquam, suntiaspedis as aut la suntium, ommolu.
* Limited seats available
Venue: Auditorium Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, Level 5 Time: 7.30pm – 10.30pm
Date: 3 January 2020 Venue: Seminar Room 1 Time : 6.00pm – 8.00pm
Gent iscilleste et et aut odias moditature aut laut eaquam, suntiaspedis as aut la suntium, ommolu.
* Limited seats available
Date: 4 & 5 January 2020 Venue: Seminar Room 3 Time : 9.00am – 6.00pm * Limited seats available
Venue: Lecture Teater 2 Time : 3.00pm - 5.30pm
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