NTU Maths student Jamie Yeng’s experience at the University Scholars Leadership Symposium

by | Nov 20, 2019 | Events, People, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Yeng Jia Wen, Jamie, represented the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) at the 10th University Scholars Leadership Symposium (USLS). From inspiring keynote speakers to lessons about giving back to the society, Jamie gives us a glimpse into her rewarding experience in Kuala Lumpur.

I am extremely honoured to be given the opportunity to represent SPMS and Singapore for the USLS this year. The symposium was held at Setia City Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This year, the theme of the symposium was “Together We Serve”, highlighting the importance of collaboration within the community, and youths as agencies of social change.

The symposium started on a good note where the delegates were graced by the presence of Malaysia’s prime minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad. In his inspiring opening speech, he mentioned that “An effective leader possesses qualities that other people hold in high regard. A leader should lead not just by words but more effectively by example.” We were also treated to a few performances to give us a glimpse of Malaysia’s melting pot of cultures and customs.

For the next few days of the symposium, there was a great line-up of talks given by various inspiring speakers such as Founder of Sunrise Cambodia, Geraldine Cox. Sunrise Cambodia is a charity with humble beginnings as an orphanage in Cambodia, and now extends its services to sustainable development and family support in several provinces of the country. She shared on her tough journey to support orphans and people in need. She has since provided them with education, internet access and love.

Jamie at the Setia City Convention Centre, venue for the 10th USLS.

Every talk was extremely inspiring as each speaker generously shared their experience in going out of their comfort zone to address pressing issues such as poverty. It was not a surprise that some delegates even cried, moved by the profound experiences of the speakers.

Since the symposium was all about lending a helping hand to help people in need, the program included a special segment called Service Day. I chose to do my service learning with the indigenous (Orang Asli) children at an orphanage. At the orphanage, delegates had to form teams together with the children for the day’s activities. We had the whole day to interact with all the children through games and cultural activities that allowed us to form strong bonds with each other! We all had so much fun such that we attracted many families from the nearby neighbourhood to join in the fun too! Service Day definitely reinforced the main purpose of the symposium: to lend a helping hand to people in need.

The main highlight of the symposium was definitely the inaugural Gala Ball on the last day, held to commemorate the symposium’s 10th anniversary. Everyone dressed to the nines to celebrate the successful week-long symposium and forged friendships with people from all over the world! We took a lot of photos and followed each other on social media during the Gala Ball! I was also fortunate to have a photo with the Secretary-General of Humanitarian Affairs Asia, Mr. Kim Solomon, the main coordinator of the symposium.

Jamie and Kim Solomon, Humanitarian Affairs Asia secretary-general

 From the symposium, I learned to be grateful for what I have. As a student, we can all start to help those in need such as donating your unused necessities to those in need in Singapore. Such small acts of kindness may seem insignificant, but it will definitely brighten up the receiver’s day!

I had truly enjoyed myself throughout this trip and I am really thankful that I was given the chance to participate in it! 😊

Yeng Jia Wen, Jamie

Mathematical Sciences, SPMS

 

About USLS

USLS is an international symposium organised by Humanitarian Affairs (HA) Asia, an organisation established with a vision to set an action based example for young people interested in making a difference to those less fortunate than themselves

The aim of USLS is to increase awareness for pertinent social issues, and empower youths to pave the way for the larger social good. This year, USLS celebrated its 10th anniversary in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and took place from 1st to 7th August 2019.

Since the inception of the 1st USLS in 2010, HA has partnered more than 500 of the world’s leading Universities, many of which are listed by The Times Higher Education World University Rankings or QS World University Rankings. They include Harvard, Princeton, Yale, University of Cambridge, Oxford University, King’s College, London, University of Toronto, University of Melbourne, University of Tokyo, Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Nanyang Technological University, among others.