Alumni Stories

The reason contributed to his choice of joining UOW Malaysia KDU is because he interested in the program offered by UOWMalaysia KDU back then as a student. During Shurain’s college days, he was the President of the UOW Malaysia KDU Indian Culture Society. The fondest memories studying at UOW Malaysia KDU is when he was the President of the Indian Culture.

As a student, he studied telecommunication and computer engineering, with this experience and the dedicated lecturers at UOW Malaysia KDU the program supported him a lot in his current career, in a multinational leading telco company here, in Malaysia.

“My friends and the institution taught me to be independent,” said Shurain when asked on how UOW Malaysia KDU influenced his passion in life. He would love to contribute back to the UOW Malaysia KDU community in guiding and mentoring the students.

Shurain’s words of wisdom that inspire and motivate him in life – “If It’s to be, it’s up to me”

Sasha shared with us on the main reason she wanted to join UOW Malaysia KDU. It was her brother who actually influenced her with her university of choice. Her brother had joined UOW Malaysia KDU in the 90s and she promised herself that she would definitely go to UOW Malaysia KDU and graduate from there.

Having being an artiste at an early age since she left school, Sasha joined UOW Malaysia KDU when she was in her 20s. She made an oath to herself that she would return to studying after having her ‘gap year’. Finally after 10 years, she did her studies in UOW Malaysia KDU and took up Diploma in Business Administration. Passed with flying colours, Sasha was then accepted to her university of choice, University of East Anglia, which then she graduated with a BSc in Business Information Systems.

We asked Sasha on how has UOW Malaysia KDU influenced her passion in life, and she replied, “UOW Malaysia KDU showed me that I can go back to studying at any age and there shouldn’t be any discrimination between age, gender or race.” She further explained that she was given the same treatment as every other student in the class and each and every one in her class had to work hard without any favouritism.  This has set her up for life outside university and has later influenced on the way she teaches her children.

Sasha also shared that she would love to contribute back to UOW Malaysia KDU in any way that she can. With her status as an artiste, she will be able to spread awareness on spreading messages of goodwill. Also, since Sasha has been involved in many CSR programmes, this is a good platform for her to contribute back to UOW Malaysia KDU.

Lastly, Sasha believes that, “Positivity is essential in our daily lives, whether it be how we carry out our tasks or how we treat others in general. If we are able to look at the positive sides of things, it takes away the element of stress and tension. Learn to let go of things that are beyond our control, make the best of the situation, be positive and move on. Greater things are waiting beyond the horizon.”

“Back in 2000, right after my diploma graduation, I worked as a maintenance technician in Motorola Penang with plans to further my education. Initially, I was offered to complete my degree course at a local university, but upon my friend’s recommendation, I decided to apply for UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College instead.”

“The Bachelor Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering that I had obtained in UOW Malaysia KDU has launched me into an Engineer career in for Multinational Corporations (MNC). The lectures that we learned in UOW Malaysia KDU was not just mere theories but it is very practical and relevant to the industrial needs today. The positive attitude and technical knowledge that I have gained from my time in UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College had led me to become the Manufacturing Director in Vitrox Corporation Malaysia today.”

“Now as a Manufacturing Director, I am constantly looking for great talents and desire to create more job opportunities for the next generation. I too have interviewed and hired many graduates even those who are from UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College.”

Looking back to 1995, I had just finished my SPM examination and didn’t have any direction for my next academic path. One day, I went to my friend’s house to play video games and we started chit-chatting about colleges and universities. My friend told me that UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College offered the Advanced Diploma in Computer Studies and the tuition fee was affordable.

Surprisingly, my friend had also enrolled into UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College. I then decided to further my undergraduate studies in Computer Science at UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College and compared my life with other private colleges and local universities. It was so fun, relaxing and enjoyable. I would like to thank the students’ affairs division which provided support and assistance during the entry application.

UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College helped me to master programming languages like ASM, Foxpro, Pascal, C++ and VB, which are the keys to a great career in IT. They were the fundamental building blocks of software during the dotcom boom until it eventually evolved into Java. UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College offers the most comprehensive and demanding level of programming language proficiency at the time compared with other local universities.

I completed my bachelor’s degree in computing, which is a dual-award programme with University of Lincoln, UK, and UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College hooked me up with Plymouth University, also in UK. I had the most fun and relaxing experience in UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College without any discrimination. I experienced very interesting and memorable classes from the lecturers as most of them are industry experts and corporate figures.

UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College not only focuses on the outcome from the textbook or classrooms but it also teaches students how to start up their own businesses as entrepreneurs. As the chief executive officer for Cortex Investment Holding, Cortex Robotics, Cortex Imaging Sdn. Bhd, I need to ensure that my company is a successful one and generating decent profits. The path to entrepreneurship consumes a lot of resources and it does not guarantee success.

Time, money and people are what make ventures work. It will provide jobs and create a stable supply chain and business ecosystem, which eventually cascade down to the local economy and bring goodness to social welfare.

At UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College, I feel totally comfortable study here for its good learning environment as well as quality campus facilities. Throughout the 4 years studied, I have noticed the improvements mads on school campus as well as the facilities, such as upgrading the computers in the labs, smart classroom, recording studio and etc. Overall, I really enjoy myself as a UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College student, I have made a lot of new friends, meet with great people and learn a lot of new knowledge as well as experience.

Nurul graduated with first class honour’s degree and was awarded with Industry Award of Excellence in Creativity by XENO (formerly known as Paranormal Group Asia) in recognition of her outstanding achievement in the program and for displaying a high level of creativity and implementing ideas in an innovative way.

“The whole campus environment is graced with beautiful landscapes, picturesque design and buildings, the views are photo worthy of Instagram. Aside from the beautiful environment, the lecturers here are very helpful to students, I literally enjoyed my time at UOW Malaysia KDU, and I still do. Every now and then I would still drop by for a visit and just to meet with my juniors and lecturers, and everyone who has helped me throughout my time at UOW Malaysia KDU.”

While being a student here, Nurul served as one of UOW Malaysia KDU Student Ambassador and also represented the institution on various events and programs, both internally and externally. These programs include weekly volunteering with Institute Onn Jaafar teaching underprivileged communities near Chow Kit area, TnX50 Malaysia’s Development Showcase on technology, science and community, she also involved in raising awareness with The Star R.AGE sexual predator’s case to the higher authorities of Malaysia. Nurul served as a female emcee and talent for UOW Malaysia KDU University College and partners.

“Today, I am a writer, a freelance voice-over artist, model, journalist and a general manager for a non-profit organisation called Al-Hasan Volunteering Network. But I have also committed my time and energy to speak about my UOW Malaysia KDU experience to any potential students, to any current students or even to those who are still undecided on where they plan to further their studies. UOW Malaysia KDU is the place of great experiences, great opportunities, great learning processes, and great memories that I will cherish always”

Inspired by his cousins, John Kevin Navoa chose to study in UOW Malaysia KDU. “It was the main reason I wanted to go there so badly. My cousins descripted in detail about their fantastic lecturers and even more, the well-known culinary school itself.

His most memorable memory was being the only Filipino student in his class. This encouraged him to learn more about the Malaysian culture, especially its variety of food. “I enjoyed both learning the local culture and teaching bits and pieces of the Filipinos to my peers”.

One of his memories were his internship in Dewakan; a restaurant located inside UOW Malaysia KDU itself. With the fusion of two Malay words for “god” and “food”, Dewakan is known to be the modern appreciation of the abundance that this land is blessed with. Upon completion of his internship, he continued working as a part timer for this outstanding restaurant. John recalled of Chef Darren who was still a lecturer at that point of time. “From Dewakan, I learned to be professional by following high standards and never disregarding them for any reason. Upon completing my training under this high pressure and fast-paced environment, I was able to adapt in diverse areas,” he said.

According to John, UOW Malaysia KDU has influenced his culinary passion in life. “Our lecturers were committed about every lesson. Everything was on point and perfect. This slowly instill love for food in me. In time, I felt dedicated to make great food. In addition to that, our lecturers groomed us to communicate and move around professionally. However, the most important lesson learnt was to be able to adapt in different cultures.”

John would love to contribute back to the UOW Malaysia KDU community by making something out of himself, apply it in our cuisine and push the boundaries where no one has ever thought possible. He has applied everything he learned during his time spend in UOW Malaysia KDU and Dewakan. “If I become even more successful with my current endeavor, the credit would entirely go to the school and its lecturers. I hope this will encourage more students to enroll at UOW Malaysia KDU.”

When I enrolled in Bachelor of Accounting (Hons), I had no idea what to expect. To be honest, all the journal entries, debits and credits were very primitive to me back then but after receiving immense guidance, patience, motivation and impeccable advices, I emerged as one of Top 10 finalists in the tax competition, an achievement I will always be eternally grateful for. UOW Malaysia KDU not only provides excellent education, it also urges students to strive for excellence. My education journey and student life at UOW Malaysia KDU has been very fulfilling and memorable because of the guidance and friendships that will last a lifetime.

She has emerged as one of the Top 10 finalists in the 2018 Ernst Young Tax Challenge is currently an employee at the prestigious and reputable audit firm, Ernst & Young.

Ahmad Riyal Bin Husni decided to join UOW Malaysia KDU upon hearing from his neighbour of the UOW Malaysia KDU’s Mass Communication degree program, convinced by the reasonable courses fee and appealing campus life. But while studying in UOW Malaysia KDU, Riyal’s became even more fond of the culture of experimentation in the institution here. From learning to dance to experimenting with running events, Riyal was able to embrace both success and failures and learn from it. UOW Malaysia KDU has become an important training ground for him to develop his Emcee skills where he now does it professionally.

“UOW Malaysia KDU has created a safe place and make room for a lot of experimentations so I can make as many mistakes as fast as possible and learn from it as a student, thus, I can avoid making them in my working life.Remember guys, dare to experiment, learn for your failures, do it for free now [while as a university student] so that you get good enough to get paid for it in the future”.

“In UOW Malaysia KDU, I did not feel as trapped as I was in the normal school system. Because after joining UOW Malaysia KDU, I am very motivated and was given the chance to pursue my career. If you don’t do it, what else are you going to do?”

“After graduating from my foundation course, I joined UOW Malaysia KDU after being persuaded by many of my relatives claiming that UOW Malaysia KDU is one of the best universities for Mass Communication courses. Once I got in, I immediately fell in love with the new campus in Glenmarie because it is fully equipped with great facilities. I also really enjoy broadcast, entrepreneurship and visual communication classes because the course does not limit to only media publication. We have more chances to explore and develop different skills.”

Jo Yin’s initially planned to become a journalist and was glossophobic (fear of public speaking) before joining UOW Malaysia KDU. But upon graduation, Jo Yin was awarded First Class in her Mass Communication bachelor’s degree, Jo Yin moved on from university to become an entrepreneur instead of a journalist.

“All the skills that I learned in UOW Malaysia KDU was applicable to my entrepreneur life especially in the field of communication and design. Lucky enough, I was also appointed as one of the youngest directors of Sevenstar Yacht International Sdn. Bhd. UOW Malaysia KDU had totally reinvent me into a new leaf, because now I am a speaker and leader to my own team ‘Gala Queen’. I have also founded my own brand ‘Yumeka’.”

As her way of contributing back to the UOW Malaysia KDU community, Jo Yin created the ‘Women Empowerment Entrepreneurship’ event on 24 November 2019 together with celebrity Amber Chia.

While being a full-time staff in UOW Malaysia KDU, Leong Kuan Yew decided to further his education by pursuing his Masters.  “I am satisfied with the master program as it was very well organized and my hats off to the department for doing such a great job.”

“The lecturers here are highly experienced within their industries, and what they imparted was very helpful for me in further enhancing my skills. I gained good insights through their sharing and supervision. The Master’s degree itself has helped me in my career promotion.”

“Through UOW Malaysia KDU, I am inspired to perceive the world very differently, with a better understanding of cognitive orientation, that also led me into deepening my dedication in research and for engineering. UOW Malaysia KDU had brought me to my passion, I am passionate in building a better tomorrow through technology advancements for the community.”

Leong has worked on several artificial intelligence projects that seeks to serve the community. One of such examples was a government-funded project where they developed assistive technology for the blind and low vision people in navigation. Leong hopes to be an advocate for UOW Malaysia KDU’s and desires to be a mentor for the current students. Leong is a strong believer of giving back and believes that only kindness can inspire and make the world a better place.

For him, to love is to give and to share with others. Leong encourages all students that whenever they are faced with adversaries and challenges, to always change their perceptive, and learn to see these challenges as opportunities.

Hassan Omar Hassan Golamalla believes what makes UOW Malaysia KDU special is the excellent and quality education, where students are challenged to go beyond their limit and pushing them to deliver a high standard work upon graduate.

“I choose UOW Malaysia KDU because of the professional teaching staff that constantly guiding you through and making sure you would challenge your own abilities. Also, I appreciate the collaboration and partnership of UOW Malaysia KDU with other high ranked universities in United Kingdom. Namely Northumbria University, where both universities collaborated in designing an academic curriculum to ensure students have with a clear path to well-established careers”

“My final year project supervisor at UOW Malaysia KDU advised me to do my thesis in solar energy as it’s the future. To kill two birds with one stone, by building up my skill in solar energy industry while completing my degree. After two years of experience in different industries, and finally, my thesis contributed big time for me in securing my dream job as a PV Solar design engineer.”

Lastly, Hassan believed that beyond the academics and assignments, Student and Alumni Centre (SAC) in UOW Malaysia KDU is vital in building his skills and has contributed so much growth in him. Hassan stressed that these skills he acquired through participating in Student and Alumni Centre (SAC) activities became very important skills that distinguished him from others, as a unique individual in the working industry today.