Alumni Stories

“I find studying at UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College to be a culturally inclusive learning environment. I was exposed to wonderful different cultures here, I learned to appreciate and learn from people who are of different ethnic background and nationality. For example, I had classmates who came from Mongolia, I have learned so much about their culture and language.”

“I came to the institution an awkwardly shy person, but UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College had transformed me into a confident woman who is not even afraid of networking with strangers.”

“Aside from my responsibilities as Finance and Human Resources Manager, I provide counseling to many of the employees who are demoralized in their work inside and outside of my organization. I believe it is very rewarding when we choose to serve others and help them through their difficulties.”

Jessica now serves as the Finance and Human Resources Manager in Arrowood International Sdn Bhd, a leading hotel consultancy and management in Malaysia, and has transformed hotels into profitable revenue-generating businesses.

One thing that I have come to appreciate about UOW Malaysia KDU is its commitment to the holistic well-being of the students. UOW Malaysia KDU is not just here to ensure students continue to achieve academic excellence, but also to keep providing activities, events, and competitions that will help students develop life skills and discover new talents within themselves. With the holistic student experience here, graduates leave with not just outstanding academic results but also a wealth of competent life skills guaranteeing they will dominate in the working world.

As an A-Level student, I believe time management skills is a crucial skill to have. But, do not forget to enjoy your campus life in UOW Malaysia KDU, remember to make the most out of your time here. This is a safe environment to grow, to learn, and to fail. Overall, my experience with UOW Malaysia KDU has been truly remarkable.

“Overall, my experiences in UOW Malaysia KDU were terrific. The people here were friendly and always ready to help you with any doubts or problems you may have. I enjoy the lectures, as our lecturers are constantly finding a fresher way to conduct the classes. It was fresh, exciting, and insightful, such as outdoor classes (filmmaking), live performances, and live radio sessions.”

“These are all unforgettable experiences that I gained. It has also helped build my confidence, overcoming many hurdles while handling my work. Most importantly, I had a good time whilst undertaking my diploma and degree studies in UOW Malaysia KDU.”

“The Media Production program here has broadened my career choices, as the courses here prepares you in both practical (filmmaking) skills and the academic (theory) aspects.”

“Apart from that, UOW Malaysia KDU instilled in us the value of adaptability in learning different skillsets, the education environment here has made us more versatile and adaptable. For example, I was taught a broad range of skillsets and disciplines, from desktop publishing to animations, to copywriting, to camera production, and so much more. By having all these different skill sets, it has given me higher prospects during job applications.”

“My journey along this path has just begun and I only just made a dent. I do hope that I have helped my clients, customers and employers reach their corporate communication and advertising goals effectively. With the fast changing and somewhat volatile business climate of today, I am also learning that communication roles are going to change and I aim to be at the forefront of that evolution as it happens.”

Maximizing her knowledge and talent, Jia Hui now serves as the Communication Coordinator in Global Communications in Tencent Holdings Ltd.

“Studying at UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College has been an amazing experience. In a nutshell, the lecturers are very experienced and the facilities are top-notch!”

“UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College has laid a very good foundation for me. What I had learned here has enabled me to climb the corporate ladder way faster than other fresh graduates. I achieved my goal in a very short time, by 2016, I was one of the youngest Director of Sales & Marketing in the industry.”

“My current passion is to help those in the hospitality industry as many employees and employers are heavily impacted by the pandemic. Now, we are actively providing free counseling to those who have lost their jobs and vigorously connecting with them to a suitable placement smoothly within the industry.”

“UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College has taught me to be adaptable in the hospitality industry and be a problem solver. I am very optimistic and believe we truly can empower more employees and future staff to thrive even in this time of crisis.”

Adrian Praveen is the CEO of Arrowood International Sdn Bhd, a leading hotel consultancy and management in Malaysia, and has transformed both franchised and independent hotels into profitable revenue-generating businesses.

Christy’s passion to pursue studies in the communication field, and UOW Malaysia KDU is well known for their communication program. “UOW Malaysia KDU is an industry–oriented and hands–on institution, that prepare students for the real world, compared to other institution that mainly focuses on examinations. Therefore, this is why I joined UOW Malaysia KDU”.

The fondest memories Christy had was when she was with the student council and cheerleading team. “The people I met and hang out with, made me enjoy my 4 years of college life, whether it is during classes or during the events that I participated in.

According to Christy, she gained a lot of experience from the events that she planned and took part in, experience that can’t be taught during classes. “In addition, the Student and Alumni Centre gave me the opportunity to be part of the events, grooming me to plan events. When I finally step into the working world, during my internships period or as a career as a whole, it was easier for me to adapt easily to the real world, as I was already familiar and groomed during my time at UOWMalaysia KDU”.

UOW Malaaysia KDU influenced her passion in life by nurturing and teaching her things that is not taught in classrooms. “I learnt to think on the pathway that I would like to lead my life, just not thinking but also to execute it properly, so that I meet my goals. It also influenced me to have anentrepreneurship mindset”.

“If I had a chance to contribute back to my alma mater, I would like to start with a sharing session on my experience as an alumni to new students whenever needed.”

Christy shared her words of wisdom that inspired and motivatedher life, “Every day is a fashion show, and the world is your runway. Make it worthwhile! Every day is a learning process. Keep learning. Never stop learning!”

“My neighbor was a student of UOW Malaysia KDU and spoke highly of it. I took her word and never looked at other institutions when I planned my tertiary education,” said Gabriel when asked on why he chose to study at UOW Malaysia KDU.

Gabriel has a few fond memories that he still remembers up till today. He made new friends and the things they did on campusare still fresh in his mind. Talking about how UOW Malaysia KDU has been able to add value in his present career, Gabriel mentioned that being a graduate of UOW Malaysia KDU gave him the confidence and allowed him to grow professionally.Gabriel’s passion for teaching was very much due to the experience he had working with his classmates in solving the challenging group assignments and projects during his time in UOW Malaysia KDU.​

Gabriel is now training UOW Malaysia KDU students of today who will be leaders of tomorrow, and he shares his words of wisdom for other students to look up to, “Don’t steal or cheat,always have Integrity in your workplace”.

“UOW Malaysia KDU is great environment to study. It is an institution with great facilities, like the computer lab, a vibrant canteen, gym, and there is even a huge hall space to showcase our design works.”

“I remember how our department admin, Charmaine, was always so helpful to us, making sure we are up-to-date with our courses, schedules and even our results. I also had fond memories of amazing lectures by Ms. Sharon. She was very experienced and insightful, I learned so much about Architecture’s history. The lectures in UOW Malaysia KDU always inspired me to want to serve people better.”

“If our design doesn’t serve people better nor improve their lives, we are doing it wrong. UOW Malaysia KDU has taught me to identify and put our clients’ desires and needs first. To design with a purpose, to move people’s lives better. Whether it is incorporating the latest tech, or improving their storage, or space planning, we need to remember to help make people’s lives better. As ‘form follows function, [therefore] design with purpose’”

Tan Chee Leong is the Design Director of Inspace Design Lab.

“I had a great experience during my time in UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University from the year 1997 to 2001. I had the privilege of witnessing the relocation of our campus from Esplanade Penang to Jalan Anson (Georgetown Campus). During that time, I also served as the computer lab assistant, helping UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University to set up the computer lab on Georgetown Campus. Through that, I was able to apply what I had learned from my Computing and Information System course.”

“Even though my career today does not reflect entirely to the discipline of my Computing and Information System degree, but what I learned in UOW Malaysia KDU is priceless and had provided me a very strong foundation for my career in the IT field. The knowledge I gained from the institution has helped me to perform exceedingly well in several fields like Information Technology related, Sales, Business Development, Product Invention, and even Customer Management.”

“With a strong foundation from UOW Malaysia KDU and several years of working experience, I was even able to further my education and obtained an MBA. Today, I serve as the CEO of NLYTECH Group which I founded in 2012. Currently, NLYTECH Group consists of several businesses in various types of solutions like Electronics Manufacturing solution, Automation, Information Technology, Bio-Technology, and Food Manufacturing. NLYTECH Group has an establishment in various countries as well as Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China.”

“Having the opportunity to work overseas in Japan, I owe it all to UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College for the opportunity to apply for this job. During my time with the institution, I have picked up some essential skills, like communication, teamwork, presentation skills, which were vital skills to have in my career.”

“Majoring in Bachelor of Science and Computing Studies, I find the lectures here easy to understand and practical. Also, I had the chance to hone my critical thinking skills while working on different kinds of assignments during each semester; I also enjoy working with my teammates and tackling problems together as a team.”

“By the time I set foot into the real world, I was fully equipped with relevant skills to face different obstacles in the IT industry. Despite working as a software engineer in a foreign country and where everyone communicates in Japanese, I find the programming skills that I’ve learned back in my university years to be of great value in IT development and translations.”

“My four years at UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College was worthwhile. I definitely wouldn’t have chosen anywhere else to study.”

“I had a great 5 years in UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College. First, I started my tenor as a Diploma student, then as a bachelor’s degree student there. The facilities, the lecturers, the supports from clubs, society and student service are all remarkable. You’ll never have to worry at all if you went in alone or even if you’re there as a foreigner because UOW Malaysia KDU will you feel like at home.”

“What I have learned in UOW Malaysia KDU has prepared me for the real world. The experiences shared by the lecturers, the topics that we learned and studied, it’s been very practical and valuable. What I was taught had helped me to overcome challenges and obstacles in the workplace. The lessons were not just theories but it is very practical as you step into real society. Even until today, as a branch manager of a big organization, I would still refer back to some of the notes that I’ve taken in class.”

“Now that I’m in the 7th years of my career, I am filled with deep gratitude for I was able to experience a good education and were given great opportunities. I realized that there are many out there who may not be as lucky as me. I want to create great opportunities for them as well. I hope to share my story and inspire more youngsters out there, regardless of who they are so that they would learn to explore solutions and see hope in the challenges that they are facing. Through my mentoring and motivation, I hope I can make a difference in their lives.”

“What I loved most about studying in UOW Malaysia KDU Penang is the students’ accessibility to the lecturers. The lecturers here had a cordial relationship with the students, their doors were always open for consultation. They are very supportive and we can speak to them whenever they are available. I believe this kind of student-lecturer relationship is truly valuable. Being in UOW Malaysia KDU Penang also comes with many other exciting opportunities, for example, I was able to participate in various competitions. These experiences that I have gained from participating in the activities were priceless and have broadened my horizons.”

“Even while I was a student in UOW Malaysia KDU Penang, I was given an in-depth exposure and industry knowledge in the field of engineering. These exposures across disciplines and the practical experiences that I’ve gained while completing the course projects have been a boon to my career. It helped me in my R&D work, it also prepared me when I ventured into unfamiliar territories in engineering.”

Ru Sern now serves as the Head of R&D for Estek Automation, an innovative Vision and handling system provider based in Penang. He now hopes to share his journey and experiences from university to career life with the new students or even potential students.

“I hope to share my experiences and provide guidance to the new students and my juniors. Besides providing consultation on engineering projects, I am now getting myself more involved in community-based learning projects. It is my deep desire to invest my time in bridging the gap between the academia and industry, to help produce highly skilled and learned engineering students that ever-ready for the job.”

“The learning experience in UOW Malaysia KDU was remarkable! Everything was available for us as students, to give us the greatest comfort and the best learning experience. I still remember how all my lecturers were very supportive, I could even speak to them whenever they were available. And thanks to their constant feedback and unwavering support for me, I could understand better and achieved good academic results.”

“When I enrolled in UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College, I did not realize how much this program would change my life’s trajectory, it turned out to be one of my life’s best decisions. The education and knowledge I gained here had given me an unfair advantage and accelerated growth in my career. I was given exposure across all disciplines and industry knowledge in the field of IT Software Development and IT Service Management while completing the course. These practical experiences became a pillar of success in my career. The Computer Studies program in UOW Malaysia KDU is relevant and caters to what the IT Industry needs.”

“Now as a Service Delivery Manager, I hope to give back to society not just through monetary means, but also through providing IT knowledge and skill training to the less fortunate. I also believe that we should prepare the new joiners for the Industry Revolution 4.0 by intentionally helping them to upgrade their skills. As the IT industry is now taking a more prominent role in this fast-paced, disruptive, and exponentially changing world, we should train them to become competent in this brave new world.”