A "Dentsu Day" with Dentsu Media’s Passion Pioneers & EXCO

Taylor's School of Media and Communication (SOMAC) hosted a team from Dentsu led by the Adjunct Professor Mr. Dheeraj Raina, CEO, Media Brands for Dentsu Malaysia. Dentsu Malaysia is one of the leading media and advertising agencies in the world, currently ranked #13 in the top 50 most loved brands in the world according to a report by Talkwalker and ranked #331 in Fortune’s Global 500 Companies.

The Dentsu team organized a “Dentsu Day,” which was a combination of sharing sessions and some assessments and interviews of the final year Advertising and Brand Management students for potential internship positions. Twenty-seven (27) students from Advertising and Brand Management Collaborative Project and Professional Media Workshop (Advertising) module attended the event, which lasted the entire afternoon.

The sixteen-person team from Dentsu included some of their young up-and-coming leaders the “Passion Pioneers” as well as some of the top members of Dentsu Media’s EXCO, such as Mr. Dheeraj Raina, CEO of Media Brands; Ms. Asha Nair, Managing Director of Media Brands; Ms. Winnie Chen-Head, Head of Product & Growth; Ms. Vanitha Selvathurai, Head of Carat; Mr. Hemanth Jayamaran, Head of Dentsu X; Mr. Paul Low, General Manager of Posterscope and Mr. Ikhwan Tharwan, Human Resources Partner. The Dentsu Group Chief Creative Officer, Mr. Andrew Low, was also in attendance.

The session commenced with a short keynote from Mr. Dheeraj Raina and a brief word from our Programme Director of Bachelor of Mass Communication (Hons), Mr. Philip Gan. It was followed by a sharing from the Passion Pioneers on what their working life is like in the different sectors of Dentsu Media. Ms. Winnie Chen-Head then shared on the latest media trends at Dentsu. Students were divided into groups for some simple games which served as opportunities for the Dentsu team to observe their interpersonal, communication, and teamwork skills. The last game was a case study presentation. The students were provided the brief the day before and had to work in assigned teams to develop the presentation.

Based on those activities, the team shortlisted ten (10) students for immediate interview, and named several more who would be contacted for online interviews in the coming weeks. While the EXCO were conducting the interviews, the other students were encouraged to mingle with the rest of the Dentsu team and ask them questions. Those who stayed behind did manage to talk to the team, and they were all very friendly and willing to share their experiences and thoughts.

At the end of the event, Mr. Dheeraj Raina announced that six (6) out of the ten (10) were chosen for the internship positions with Dentsu Media, with three more pending another interview or feedback from Dentsu’s Creative departments. Initial feedback from the students shows that they thought it was an interesting way to learn more about the industry, and they enjoyed having the opportunity to interact directly with the Dentsu team. The Dentsu team has expressed the hope to run similar events again in the future, perhaps more than once a year.

Mental Health Screening for Public by Taylor's Master of Clinical Psychology Students

Mental disorders have been often overlooked due to their “invisible nature of disability”. The importance of early detection and early intervention, however, has proven promising results in its treatment and recovery therefore, mental health screening can be the first step to detect any psychological concerns that warrant early interventions. In light of that, Trainee Clinical Psychologists, students from Taylor's Master of Clinical Psychology programme conducted free mental health screenings and shared basic techniques for psychological management for better psychological well-being among the general public, as part of their clinical practicum.

This initiative was conducted at Ideal Convention Center Shah Alam (IDCC) on 21st and 22nd May 2022 and Tropicana Gardens Property, Kota Damansara on 4th and 5th June 2022. The Trainee Clinical Psychologists were able to practice and share their skills and knowledge learned from their classroom teachings. Some of the skills that they practiced were emotional screening and assessments, diaphragmatic breathing, basic problem-solving skills, and time management skills were shared with approximately 80 public in both events.

The trainees also referred those who are interested to continue with psychotherapy sessions at the HEART Psychological Services, a centre for psychological services at Taylor’s University, which provides affordable psychotherapy, psychological assessments and consultation to public. The public surely benefitted from these mental health screening sessions as well as learning basic psychological techniques to manage their day-to-day stresses.

Taylor’s University would like to sincerely thank IDCC COVID-19 vaccination staff members and Tropicana Gardens Property event organizer for the invitation to this great opportunity for the trainees to implement their classroom learning in a real-world setting.

Taylor’s ADTP: Established & Affordable Pathways of United States Transfer Programs

The Taylor’s American Degree Transfer Program (ADTP) organized a recruitment webinar recently on the 11th June 2022. The webinar was well attended by students who were keen to pursue undergraduate studies in the United States of America and Canada. The event was moderated by Ms. Erica Yeoh, a second-semester Liberal Arts Major from Taylor’s ADTP. The session started with an introduction by the Moderator followed by an Opening Remarks by the Head of Department, School of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Taylor’s University, Dr. Wan Puspa Melati. Dr. Melati highlighted the essentials of the Taylor’s ADTP pathway and briefly touched on the value of a US degree. Reminiscing her undergraduate days in the US, Dr. Melati encouraged the participants to move out of their comfort zones and enroll into modules outside their discipline to hone diverse skillsets and make the most of the holistic education philosophy afforded by the American education system.

Professor Russell Ganim, Associate Provost and Dean of International Programs at the University of IOWA, went on to speak about the highlights of pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of IOWA, citing the student and campus experience as top-notch. He provided many details about the IOWA campus, teaching, learning and research activities. He also expressed interest in planning a trip to Taylor’s University in the near future to speak and engage with students up close and personal. The University of IOWA Admissions Representative who was also present at the webinar, Ms. Aletha Groene, to explain the application process to the students and advised them to begin the process 9 months in advance prior to the enrolment timeline.

The next invited speaker was Dr. Kong Kaishan, Associate Professor from University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire and a Visiting Fulbright Scholar at ADTP Taylor’s University who spoke enthusiastically about the classroom and research experiences that her students are exposed to at the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire. She forwarded several concrete examples supported by interesting visuals on her attempts to connect Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Majors with culture and language within the scope of the modules she taught at the Eau-Claire campus. She also shared her experience as an international student who had pursued her undergraduate and postgraduate education across three continents – Asia, Europe and North America.

The webinar concluded with a short question and answer session whereby the students were interested to know more about financial bursaries and scholarships offered by overseas universities and further clarified on some of the unique features of the universities discussed.