Alumnus Profile Fong Wei Kiat

“The sky’s the limit, but only the headwind makes you soar high.”

We are proud to feature our alumnus, Chris Fong Wei Kiat, from the second graduating batch of the Bachelor of International Tourism Management (Honours) programme. Chris developed a career path in the tourism industry, and it has been a rewarding journey for him, and he has never regretted it. 5 years journey as a cabin crew has inspired him to appreciate the human touch and emotions. Started off as a rookie, he yearned to sit on the jump seat and feel the excitement of taking off and landing on an unknown destination. Eventually, as every onboard experience counts, he started to work and paid attention to details and treated everyone in a fair manner regardless of status or race.

Every flight is unique, and many hidden stories waited for him to unfold from every passenger. Hence, he learned to always be a good listener and anticipate every guest's request even before they ask for services. He would describe the aircraft cabin as a social microcosm. Everyone behaves differently and he would treat it as a learning opportunity to learn about life and death. After a year and a half working as a cabin crew, he was promoted to senior cabin crew to oversee passengers and fellow crew members. It was the biggest milestone that he achieved in his aviation career. Taking care of more than 240 passengers in a confined metal tube was a significant task especially when it is linked to the cabin safety agenda. Senior cabin crew needs to ensure everyone is intact and leave in a pleasant mood after landing at a destination.

It was a challenging and meaningful career in his life. As the Covid-19 is still raging the world with more than 2 million vulnerable lives perished, it is affecting the aviation industry and most of the airline companies have shut down their business operation. Chris decided to step out of his comfort zone and venture into the sustainability field. Currently, he is working as a sustainability data analyst to monitor aircraft carbon emissions and curate strategies to offset the carbon emissions in achieving carbon-neutral growth for the industry. “This would be another significant career transition in my aviation life, and I believe the sky’s the limit, but only headwinds make me soar high in future undertakings,” Chris Fong.

Sharing Sessions with Winner of AKRI Organised by International Islamic University Malaysia

Dr. Chong Li Choo, Programme Director of Bachelor of Science (Hons) (Culinology) programme, Taylor's University, was invited as the speaker to share her strategies in winning the Anugerah Khas Menteri Pendidikan: Reka Bentuk Kurikulum dan Penyampaian Inovatif (AKRI) for the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) community on 25th February 2021. The Centre for Professional Development, IIUM hosted this webinar.

Taylor's Bachelor of Science (Hons.) (Culinology) programme was named CHAMPION in the Education Minister's Special Award Ceremony: Innovative Curriculum Design and Delivery (AKRI) 2019, under the Innovative Programme category. This highly distinguished award's selection criteria is based on five aspects: Programme Rational, Programme Approaches, Programme Engagements, Programme Impacts and Programme Potentials. This prestigious national award acknowledges the innovative approach of the Culinology® programme to educate and produce future-proof graduates.

Webinar on "Butterflies in the Stomach: Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder"

Anxiety is described as feelings of tension and concern, and it can be part of a normal process in life. However, if anxiety becomes severe, it may impair one’s daily functioning. On 24th February 2021, the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (SLAS) hosted a public webinar titled ‘Butterflies in the Stomach: Panic Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder' to help people understand the distinctions between day-to-day emotions and clinical anxiety. This webinar aimed to educate on the symptoms of anxiety disorder, differences between normal anxiety and clinical anxiety, as well as ways to manage anxiety.

Ms. Sam Jeng Mun, Senior Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist at Taylor's University, started the webinar by addressing Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Mr. Alvin Tan Kuan Sean, Director and Clinical Psychologist at People Psychological Solutions, then discussed Panic Disorder the panel speakers then introduced the diagnostic criteria of both anxiety disorders, followed by understanding how anxiety diagnosis is made. The panel speakers shared their experiences of dealing with cases that are related to anxiety. Finally, some practical techniques, skills and resources were shared on managing anxiety. In this webinar, the Master of Ceremony was Ying Jin Rong, a student in the Bachelor of Psychology programme.

The webinar was well-received by the general public. During the question-and-answer session, there were several questions ranging from recognising and understanding signs to dealing with anxiety in children and adults. According to the panelists, anxiety in children is very common these days, and an examination of the disorder is needed before confirming the diagnosis and treatment plans. The participants gained a greater understanding and insight into the two anxiety disorders. SLAS would like to express its profound appreciation to the external speaker, Mr. Alvin Tan Kuan Sean, for devoting his time and sharing valuable perspectives based on his experience and practices.