{{ vm.tagsGroup }}
19 Aug 2021
5 Min Read
Liew Kwan Jet (Guest Contributor)
Ever wondered what’s it like to be a Risers’ ambassador? Kwan Jet shares his journey for the past year and more with us!
On the 1st of February 2020, my life changed forever as I officially became chosen as one of the five Risers’ Ambassadors to represent Taylor’s College. Truth be told, it was something I never expected to get as the honour of having to be a brand ambassador for my college was one that I could only dream of. It’d be a huge step forward for me as a former introvert during my high school life and I can’t describe how hard I crossed my fingers from the day I submitted my application all the way till I received the results. Nevertheless, against all odds, I received the honour of being selected as a Risers’ Ambassador and, to this day, I still consider it as one of the greatest achievements of my life.
Until now, this incredible journey has been a blast for me. The selection process itself was a thrilling experience. When I first saw the call-out, I knew this was an opportunity not to be missed. I was really nervous considering my introverted-self but nevertheless mustered up all my courage to do it. I realised, if I couldn’t even do this, then the rest of activities The Risers had in store for me would be an endless line of challenges.
I was even more nervous knowing I had to prove myself worthy of representing the college and to inspire the youth. Nevertheless, after a series of challenges, I aced the process. When I knew I was chosen, I was ecstatic and this was a huge confidence booster for me. It helped me realise that hard work does pay off. In fact, it even shaped my persona today to get out of my comfort zone and grab any opportunity I can.
And this signalled the beginning of my exhilarating journey as a Risers Ambassador.
After being selected, I met my new Co-Risers, Jasmine, Shahmala, Rodric, and Yusef, who were all really friendly. I also realised that I was the youngest among them. Both Taylor’s Marketing and Digital Marketing Department were great as they helped me get sorted out and comfortable as a Risers Ambassador since this was all very new to me.
One of the most significant events I’ve done for The Risers would be the Official Launch Ceremony of The Risers, which was done alongside Taylor’s Future Movement x Sneakerlah. The Risers app is a community app focused on secondary school students to encourage them to learn new skills, share their ideas, and enjoy great content while getting the chance to win exciting prizes all at the same time. Hundreds of secondary students from many different schools were invited to celebrate the launch with us! That event undoubtedly still holds a special place in my heart.
Throughout the event, I gained new skills and knowledge as I got to attend the D.I.Y Interactive Storytelling Workshop which improved my social and communication skills as I got to interact with the students and got to know them better. I was quite nervous at first, but soon realised they were a super fun bunch and we even shared Instagram’s with one another at the end of the workshop. In fact, I learnt that this is an effective way to stay connected which I now use to this day when meeting new people. I realised I just needed to step out of my comfort zone and by giving others a chance can make a huge impact.
And that was just the beginning of the plans that were in store for us. We were even told that we’d get to go on roadshows! But...
Check out the full TikTok video of Kwan Jet and Jasmine here.
Nevertheless, the fun didn’t stop there. Instead, we move our plans digitally! That’s where I got to work closely with Taylor’s Digital Marketing Department to write articles and create videos for Taylor’s College. For the articles, I worked with Josephine from Taylor’s Digital Marketing to produce empowering articles like stories of my past endeavours. I enjoyed writing them as I learned a lot when I researched these topics in-depth and also learned tips to improve my writing skills from Josephine, whom I’m very grateful for.
I also enjoyed the photoshoots and video shoots alongside Taylor’s production crew. Together, we made a ton of fun videos such as a ‘Welcoming Video’ for the new Taylorians. In fact, behind the scenes, I learnt that even the tiniest of details in filming matters like how lighting could heavily determine the setting in a video. This helped me a ton when I filmed my own videos at home for The Risers.
All of these kept me busy throughout these few initial months. But, I didn’t feel as if any of it was a burden and instead, looked forward to more.
All in all, The Risers initiative has been a life-changing experience for me. However, I’d still want to learn more about teamwork. Hopefully, when the pandemic gets better, we’d be able to have more physical events and team building activities so that we can grow and improve ourselves not only as an individual, but also as The Risers community.
A student of Taylor’s Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance, Kwan Jet is a friendly and adventurous guy who's always up to explore new experiences.
