Fuelling Passion & Purpose at SDS GET REAL V3.0

It was a day of inspiration and purpose for Sunway Diploma Studies as four founders of their own business ventures shared their experiences at the recent GET REAL V.3.0. The talk-show event, in its third year running, was initiated with a mission to enrich students' learning beyond the classroom through real-world insights and perspectives.

The event received an astounding record of 321 attendees comprising of students and staff from within Sunway Diploma Studies and other programmes in Sunway College. The audience were captivated by four inspiring panelists from various emerging industries. The panel consisted of Arthur Tan, the founder and CEO of FILLiquid, a Web3 based organization ; Koh Su Yen, an ex-Sunway alumni and founder of Emotion Pod focusing on emotion regulation sessions; Yogendran Ramani, founder and Managing Director of Aden One(M) Sdn Bhd ; a design and build organization with emphasis on sustainability and finally Jan Wong, founder of OpenMinds, a digital consulting start-up and MarTech solutions provider.

The courageous entrepreneurs shared what propelled them to start their ventures, their journey from higher education and the challenges they went through sustaining in the industry. There were accompanying visuals while the moderators posed questions in a relaxed conversational-style approach.

Arthur, who is also a professional event host, spoke about the struggles he faced trying to make ends meet for himself to ensure he had enough to pay his staff while highlighting that it was not always about money. Su Yen, who worked in global banking, shared about rising above the setback of grief after losing her mother to cancer and realised regulating emotions was a skill to develop which fueled the need for her business venture. Jan Wong, who is Forbes 30 under 30 Asia in 2017, had revealed how he started his first company when he was just 17 and pursued his business plans together with his studies through personal adversities he plodded through. Mr Yogen, whose company won the SME100 awards 2024 and SEBA awards (sustainable design and build)talked about meeting the needs of his clients with various sustainable solutions embedded in construction such as rainwater management and solar system. The insightful gathering at the Jeffrey Cheah Hall, JC2 became interactive with audience participation for the (Q&A) session from students before the tokens of appreciation. The crowd was pumped-up along with the hyped music for the finale which was a group video with everyone exclaiming ‘Get Real!’. Individual students then got to approach the panelist personally with questions.

GET REAL V3.0 delivered as promised, a raw take on purpose and passionate pursuits amidst adversities to which participants could reflect on. Sunway Diploma Studies prepares students for the real world with exposure to emerging industries that complement their practical knowledge. Industry-linked events like GET REAL V3.0 serve to build on students' potential and inspire rewarding possibilities with resilience to propel further.