ShArings

International Forum between the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) and University Malaysia SABAH (UMS) : YOUTHS AND ASPIRATIONS

Written by:
Ooi Christopher,
BSc. (Food Science and Nutrition)
School of Food Science and Nutrition
Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Date of Forum: 27 May, 2009

Excerpt:

This article describes my life during campus years in line with the forum’s theme ‘Youths and Aspirations’. It begins with a foundation that I live on, and continues with my youths and aspirations based on that foundation. Within the elaborations are briefed about the Student Body of my school, the School of Food Science and Nutrition in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), the Student Representatives Council of UMS, and Sky Campus Community (SCC, a non-governmental organisation), based on my experience. The article ends with a list of challenges I think we as students face with. Footnotes are inserted wherever deemed necessary as a reference for further information.

(This article focuses on the general aspects of YOUTHS AND ASPIRATIONS. It was revised upon blogging due to the grammatical errors and long-winded contents in the 1st printed version that we distributed during the forum. Information about UMS’s schools and academics was not included in the forum; it was given in details during an appointment with the School’s Dean and Deputy Dean on 28th of May, 09, and is also briefly attainable at the official website of UMS: http://www.ums.edu.my)

BUILDING ON A STRONG FOUNDATION

       First and foremost, having spent nearly 2 years in Universiti Malaysia Sabah, I thank God for the abundant blessings he has bestowed on me and my family throughout the moments of our ups and downs. I firmly believe that, for a growing life, not only during our campus years but also throughout all life stages, our aspirations should be founded on two indispensable living-principles – (a) relational or communion-based and (b) educational or knowledge-based principles.

a.       Relational or Communion-based Principles

It is my daily mission to realise the importance of genuine relationships (vertically) with God and (horizontally) with my neighbours – that is, the people who are closely related to me (e.g. my family) and those who are around me (e.g. my friends). And to me as a Christian, Lord Jesus the Messiah should be the centre of our focus and attention for all strong and genuine relationships.

b.       Educational or Knowledge-based Principles

Practical education equips me as richly as it is made clear to all Malaysian citizens in the National Education Philosophy (NEP) of Malaysia:

“Education in Malaysia is on-going efforts towards further developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonic, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards and who are responsible and capable of achieving high level of personal well-being as well as being able to contribute to the harmony and betterment of the family, the society and the nation at large.”[1]

       In my opinion, both the relational and the practical, educational principles can be based on and integrated by Mark 11:29-31 of the Bible:

In Mark 11:29-30 is written “The most important is… you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…”, which indicates our communion with God, the heart, soul, mind and strength of that verse corresponding respectively to the NEP’s four knowledge-based attributes – the spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical attributes, and, integrating to the horizontal relationship with such vertical, revitalising communion as well as with those four attributes and other characteristics compacted in the NEP, we can apply in our lives what the Lord Jesus calls his second-most important commandment to mankind – that is, “…You must love your neighbour as yourself” [v. 31]. And Mark 12:29-31 ends with an emphasis: “… No other commandment is greater than these.”

YOUTHS AND ASPIRATIONS ROOTED IN A STRONG FOUNDATION

       The two indispensible living-principles lay the foundation on which I can discover boundless possibilities of successful and secure aspirations. It is a continuous process; I believe that, for us as campus students, our youth is a period as good to be grounded in that foundation as to apply it in our lives. Thus, a campus student should not just rely on academic achievements. I have personally taken part in various activities such as organising different programmes, trips, and farewell dinner for my school, SSMP, involving in the Stage-designing Unit of UMS’s Ang Pow Festival (i.e. an annual Chinese Festival for all UMS residents and the public), and participating church activities. Today, I am a member of UMS’s Student Representatives Council. Now, as a leader, juggling between academic and non-academic matters, it has never been easy to remain passionately motivated and motivative. I made many mistakes, and I find continual learning crucial for continual leading.

Youths

In The Student Body Of SSMP – 2008

       Being an undergraduate in the School of Food Science and Nutrition (SSMP) in UMS has never been more exciting. In addition to the profesionalism of the academecians are the opportunities for the students to get involved in practicals as well as non-academic activities. In the year 2008 I took up responsibility to help the Student Body in organising a practical programme called “Healthy Lifestyle (or Gaya Hidup Sihat in Malay)” especially for the Nutrition-course students. In that programme we practised what had been taught during lecture, namely the way to measure Body Mass Index and to educate nutritional knowledge to the general public.

       Among the other various activities that the school’s Student Body also organises are AIM Night (an annual dinner specially organised for final-year undergrads), field trip or visitation to food factories or farms (as an exposure to the working place), family day (to orientate new students), Food Bites publication (magazine of SSMP’s Student Body), seminars and talks (to equip students with extra knowledge), inter-school sports competition (to promote health awareness and harmony in UMS) and, just recently hosted by SSMP in the year 2009, the National Food Carnival (to harness inter-university-and/or-college connection nationwide) – I only managed to commit myself in helping to organise the first three activities mentioned here besides the “Healthy Lifestyle” practicals, but those involvements in fact paved the way for me to become what I am today, that is, a member representing SSMP in the Student Representatives Council of UMS.

In The Student Representatives Council (MPP) – 2009

       The Student Representatives Council (MPP) of UMS has the vision to dignify UMS students in a global arena. MPP declares its five missions as 5Ks – that is, (1) Kesarjanaan, (2) Kokurikulum, (3) Kebajikan, (4) Kesahsiahan, (5) Kesepaduan, the Malay words respectively for (1) Academic excellence, (2) Non-academic achievements, (3) Welfare, (4) Morality and (5) Unity, and its motto echoes this way: “To generate the supremacy of the community.” The general policies it upholds include the National Principles (or in Malay, the Rukun Negara), student right, the responsibility to liaise between university administration and students, organisational effeciency and effectiveness, and balanced growth in four attributes – the intellectual, spiritual, emotional dan physical attributes – mentioned also in the NEP. The challeges that MPP faces with are to increase students’ commitment, involvement and co-operation in the events organised, the policies proposed, in handling campus issues and in coming out with new resolutions about those issues, as well as to continually gain students’ trust in the MPP. The bureaucratic organisational chart is also one of the main challenges since many resolutions failed to be realised on time with such time-consuming system.

       It was not until after I received a vision from the Lord, was encouraged by my lecturers and friends, and was motivated by various speeches and readings that I chose to step out of my comfort zone and register myself as a candidate for the annual campus election in October 2008, which I then won with a slight majority and made it into UMS MPP. Up to now, I am in charge of the portfolio, Exco of Student Housing and Services (Exco 3P), alongside with my counterpart, Hazimin bin Awang (a student rep of the School of Social Science), until the dismissal of the Council towards the end of 2009.

       This is the vision of Exco 3P: To ensure that student hostels and the facilities within as well as the various services in the campus are kept in good condition and in a well manner, and to see improvements realised duly, for the benefit of all UMS residents. And this is our mission: To liaise between the university administration and the students of UMS for the welfare of the latter – conveying any of the former’s messages to the latter, voicing any of the latter’s needs to the former, and proposing solutions to any existing-problem before attempting with best effort to carry out those solutions – so as to realise our vision, continually.

       Other than making connections and cooperating with the Student Bodies of our respective schools to take care of students’ welfare and with the Committee of Student Welfare to handle issues in all student residential colleges, our responsibilities also include coordinating campus bus services and conducting ad-hoc matters such as surveying students’ response/satisfaction towards our services and the recent issue regarding the privatisation of campus bus service. Besides, we at times are also privileged to welcome visitors in UMS ranging from honoured guests to secondary school students. The MPP also has occasional retreats, the previous one being done at Membakut, Sabah.

In A Non-Governmental Organisation – 2008-2009

       Before I become a student rep I also joined a non-government organisation, called Sky Campus Community (SCC), formed under Skyline[2], the church I belong to in Sabah. We had Emotional Quotient Seminar (EQS) – the main speaker of which was an internationally recognised consultant and former professor in the University Malaya (UM)[3], Prof. Dr. Leonard Yong, who formulated the L.E.O.N.A.R.D. Personality Inventory (LPI)[4], Sex and Sensibility Seminar, mission trip to the interior of Sabah at Timbua village, outings to various places (such as Sapi Island, Kiansom Waterfall, Kinabalu Park… etc) in the state dubbed the Land Below The Wind, and freshies night/dinner. The target participants of SCC events consisted largely of UMS students. One of the most unforgettable experience for me was to present in front of the camera to introduce and report our mission trip at Timbua village through SkyNews (i.e. a video-news production) to the church. In short, my participations in SCC have been none other than a blessing to me, exposing me to and equiping me with various life-values, knowledge and skills.

       Notwithstanding, upon having been elected to be a member of UMS MPP, I have since then withdrawn myself from the core organising team of SCC, called ‘the Ablazers!’, and have become a participant of rather than a contributor to the organised events, in order to fully concentrate on my service in MPP, a ministry which I regard as a calling from God as I did equally SCC ministry. Such positional switch to MPP, as I have mentioned above, has been tough, and many of my weaknesses has been exposed, just like what Dr. John C. Maxwell wrote in his book, that “Defining moments defines your leadership”[5], and till now I am still a learning leader, learning from my mistakes.

       Nonetheless, as the saying goes, ‘A wise person learns from his mistakes. A wiser one learns from others’ mistakes. But the wisest person of all learns from others’ successes.’ I believe God works universally, and I agree with Dr. Maxwell’s saying that “Every person has a potential to teach us something.” Futhermore, we should always learn to serve within people of different ethnicities, religions, traditional backgrounds… etc, a practice which in fact has always been emphasised by all the prime ministers of Malaysia since our Independence Day on the 31^st of August, 1957. For example, the One-Malaysia Concept is recently propagated by our incumbent prime minister Dato’ Seri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak to “preserve and enhance unity in diversity”[6]. I believe that the gist of all these can be applied from what Mark 12:17 of the Bible indicates, and it can be written this way: “Give back to the Nation the things that are the Nation’s, and to God the things that are God’s”.

Aspirations

       Having personalised the two indispensable living-principles mentioned in the beginning of this article, I also find influencing them to my family, my friends and the society vital, too, as a leader, and that is why I have joined all the aforesaid activities and events. In the near future, what God holds for me I may not have clearly understood yet, but this is a calling for me: I will become a businessman-leader who contributes also to needy people and the nation’s welfare. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science and Nutrition, the minor subjects of which, in UMS, are compulsory business-related studies. If God wants to, after graduation I will further my studies through a master’s degree if not a PhD. study in Food Science and Nutrition (probably also taking a certificate/diploma programmes on Psychology, for I am interested in it) and, perhaps, I will work as a tutor if not a lecturer first, since I am also fond of teaching and public speaking, and then take some courses if necessary – maybe the Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) – before venturing into my own business, throughout the process of which I pray that the mission reaching out to needy people will not die out in my heart, whatever situation I may be in.

CHALLENGES AND CONCLUSION

       In spite of the many youthful events and the very ambitious aspirations that each of us as campus student has, many challenges lie before us in the present and the future. For example, some people may think by common-sense that to remain academically competent in lieu of the various involvements is most challenging. Some others concern about choosing the right friends and eventually the one-right life-partner, which (honestly speaking) are not any less difficult! I agree with all that, and all the more with Maxwell’s popular saying, “The one thing that you need to know to be a great leader is that there is more than one thing you need to know to be a great leader” and  “Leaders are developed daily, not a day”. In this way, then, remaining firm in a strong foundation we will strain on forward for the aspirations God has laid in each of our hearts, for the good of those around us.

Proverbs 16:1,9

“Preparations of the heart belong to human beings,
but the response of the tongue is from the Lord…
… A person plans his way,
but the Lord directs his steps.”

Postscript and Acknowledgements:

Preparing for this forum has indeed caused me to reflect and realign my life, especially with the ideal theme ‘Youths and Aspirations’. It is my prayer that through this sharing every forum panelist (or the readers of this article) is benefited and blessed. In addition, I count it my privilege to also introduce UMS, specifically about its School of Food Science and Nutrition, with regards to the student activities, internationally. Last but not least, I would like to thank the administration of UMS and its counterparts in UPLB for giving me the opportunity to present this sharing. Thank you all and God bless you!

[2] Skyline SIB Official Homepage: http://www.skylinesib.com

[3] Offical Portal of UM: http://www.um.edu.my

[4] Source: Official website of L.E.O.N.A.R.D. Personality Inventory. http://www.leonard.com.my/

[5] Source: Leadership GOLD © 2008 by John C. Maxwell.

[6] Source: One-Malaysia Portal. http://www.1malaysia.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=358&Itemid=93&lang=en