Sunway Alumni Gives Back by Mentoring the Younger Generation

Talented Sunway Alumni from some of the world’s most renowned brands all came together online to support the Sunway University Career Mentoring Programme.

1) Lee Siok Ping, Director of Student LIFE, thanked the mentors for their participation to share their expertise and knowledge with the young students and said, “Over the years, our past mentors and mentees had gained a lot over the whole experience. For the mentors, do be generous to share and learn to hear from the students and be willing to learn from them. They might give you new insights.”

2) All the successful Sunway Alumni are representing acclaimed global brand leaders such as Accenture, AirAsia, BDO, Chanel, Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), Fonterra, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, KPMG, PwC, Mastercard, Nestle, Nike, Samsung, Shell, Walt Disney Company Malaysia, and UOB Bank.

Successful Sunway Alumni representing acclaimed global brand leaders from Accenture, AirAsia, BDO, Chanel, Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), Fonterra, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, KPMG, Mastercard, Nestle, Nike, Samsung, Shell, Walt Disney Company Malaysia, and UOB Bank, actively supported this innovative platform, by sharing their knowledge and experience with the current students. 

As part of the Sunway Career Mentoring programme, the Future Leaders’ Academy (FLA) was virtually launched recently. The FLA is a five-month new leadership development programme aiming to develop an all-rounded, confident, and future-ready talent.

A specially crafted talent programme, the FLA’s mission is to equip student leaders with essential skills so that they may impact and influence the society of tomorrow, with 121 mentees on board for this batch. 

Under the FLA programme, mentees need to undergo four Masteries including Personal Mastery – a virtual workshop on personal growth through principles of purpose, grit and growth mindset; Professional Mastery – a career mentoring with Sunway Alumni sharing their workplace experiences; Industry Mastery – an experiential learning hosted by companies; and Meet the Masters – a networking and inspirational session to hear from the top industry leaders. 

Mentoring is conducted on a one-to-one basis, with a few mentors taking on two mentees. The programme aims to cultivate student leaders and equip with essential leadership and employability skills in communication, critical thinking and problem-solving. Students will receive a certificate for every completed mastery and awarded a testimonial upon completing all four Masteries.

Present at the virtual launch were Professor Graeme Wilkinson, Vice-Chancellor of Sunway University; Lee Siok Ping, Director of Student LIFE; participating mentees and mentors. There were also mentors joining from overseas including Abu Dhabi, Australia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and many more. 

Appreciating the mentors for their commitment and contribution to the programme, Professor Wilkinson shared that this will be a valuable experience for both mentors and mentees. 

“Mentors know what are the important skills needed in the job market and with their advice, mentees will be prepared for their careers after graduating,” said Professor Wilkinson. 

A past mentor herself, Lee thanked the mentors for their participation to share their expertise and knowledge with the young students. “Over the years, our past mentors and mentees had gained a lot over the whole experience. For the mentors, do be generous to share and learn to hear from the students and be willing to learn from them. They might give you new insights.”

This cohort records the most numbers of participants, since the launch of the mentoring programme in 2013, with 106 mentors volunteered to support the mentees. The serving mentors are from various industries and courses, with some of them graduated from the old Sunway PJ State Campus. 

Among the mentors, 35 mentors were previously mentees in the same programme. This speaks of the positive experience they had and their willingness to give back through guiding their juniors after receiving from their past mentors. 

The programme also serves as a platform for Sunway Alumni to give back by sharing knowledge and experience in the workforce with their juniors. The programme is not industry-specific as it focuses on the general transition to the workplace upon completion of their studies. 

During the launch, Rishalini A/P Siva Kumar, a final-year BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance student shared her experience from her participation in the programme previously. 

“I’m grateful to have this mentoring session during my internship period. With the help of my mentor, Vincent Wong, I got to know myself better as I reflected on each of my strengths and weaknesses, which helps a lot in my personal development. He advises on how I can further develop my strengths and overcome my weaknesses,” said Rishalini.

Returning mentor Vincent Wong, from Waikato Twinning Programme appreciates the opportunity given and thanked all the mentors for investing in the next generation of the workforce. 

“For all the mentees, don’t be afraid to ask questions and to ask good questions to your mentors. They will give you their insights and guidance to help. To the mentors, while we guide our mentees, adopt reverse mentoring. We can learn from the young students on critical thinking, story-telling, social media and many more!”