Organised by GIS Higher Education Counsellors Liza Phillips and Christopher Mercer, our Year 12 students recently enjoyed sessions with two Alumni who generously gave up their time to share their journey after GIS, experiences of working life, and general life lessons.
At GIS, our Higher Education Days offer our Year 12 students the opportunity to consider the future options available to them, fundamentally ensuring that they are well informed and prepared to take ownership of their own journeys.
At the heart of it, these days are about sharing experiences and making connections. Alumni Arief Nasrizal (Class of ‘16) and Hoe Mei Lian, (Class of ‘15) played a vital role in this as they shared their experiences of living and studying at different universities, offering reasons for choosing a university or study destination, as well as honest accounts of whether or not they have lived up to their initial expectations.
Christopher Mercer – GIS Higher Education Advisor
“For me, the support of the Alumni during our event is key to the whole events’ success. As teachers we can happily provide the students with a wealth of knowledge about the different application systems globally, what to do to stand their best chance of a shot at the university and course of their dreams. We can discuss the details of the personal statement and the importance of grammar in crafting a successful piece of writing – but Arief and Mei offered so much more to the students. The chance to hear real-life, and recent, experiences of the world of university study was truly valuable and Arief’s discussion about whether to tear himself away from the comfort of Nasi Lemak to the strange land of Sunday roasts really resonated with the students. Similarly, Mei highlighted that a route to success is not a straight and steady path; her experiences in moving from being an aspiring accountant, to studying literature at university, before animation as a Masters programme has crafted a fascinating young woman with huge creative talent. I cannot thank them enough for their contribution to a great event.”
Liza Phillips – GIS Higher Education Advisor
“It is said that every journey begins with a single step. Yet, often we are hesitant or conflicted about what this might be. Hearing life-affirming and illuminating insights from our GIS alumni, Arief and Mei provided ideas for our Year 12 students taking their first steps on their Higher Education journey. We are fortunate at GIS to have alumni following such a diverse range of future pathways. Arief showed that finding purpose in life is fluid, but linking it to a personally relevant subject is helpful. His experience reading Geography at Kingston University allowed him to pursue his passion in the discipline before applying transferable skills to a his impactful role in marketing for a teenage mental health social enterprise. Mei’s journey reflects the transformative potential of having a creative and critical-thinking mindset. We learned from Mei that challenging preconceived ideas about success is not just possible but desirable. From comparative literature at UCL to a digital animation Masters at Central St.Martin’s, Mei inspired us with her creativity, innovation and array of awards. We are incredibly grateful to the GIS alumni for launching our HE event with a profound sense of personality and purpose.”
Arief Nasrizal, Class of ‘16
B.Sc. (Hons) Geography – Kingston University London
Chief of Marketing and Technology at Fundamental Malaysia PLT
“Giving a talk on my experiences and journey from A-Levels, to uni and to where I am now, it certainly does feel refreshing and honestly, in a way quite daunting, considering that I once sat where those Year 12s were. I’m content that everyone was so attentive and even managed to share a few laughs, and I’m glad that there were students who asked great questions. I wish the best of luck to all students in their academic endeavours. I hope that upon such tumultuous events that creeps upon your studies, you stay smiling, push forward and never lose sight of yourself. To anyone who happens to read this, revel in your successes and failures, for it’s your courage that stands tall for you to overcome any adversity.”
Hoe Mei Lian, Class of ‘15
Animator and Freelance Comic Artist from Malaysia
English Literature at UCL / MA in Character Animation at Central St Martins
Her graduation film ‘Left Unsaid’ has been nominated for the MullenLowe NOVA Award 2020, and her webcomic, My Husband is a Cultist, has also been shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Publishing Prize 2020.
“It was great to come back to GIS to talk about my experience after school, through University, and into the professional world. The idea of entering University can be daunting, but I hope that I was able to show the students that doing a certain subject in University doesn’t necessarily lock you into that for the rest of their life. When I was younger, I felt that I had to follow one single set path, but it’s been a long road of re-evaluating what success and growth means for me personally. Nobody needs to have it all figured out; the world is full of options to explore and I hope students will be encouraged to follow their heart.”
A huge ‘Thank You’ to these inspiring Alumni, who generously shared their time and experiences with our students, despite their busy daily schedules.
If you are interested in sharing your journey post-GIS, then please get in touch with us at alumni@gardenschool.edu.my – We are always updating our page with news from the Alumni community across the continents and would love to hear from you and share your stories. Please get in touch via Facebook, or LinkedIn. We can’t wait to hear from you!