FROM young, Sun Cheng Kidd has taken a proactive rather than a reactive approach to life.
That innate desire to effect change has seen him take on various roles over the years – from being school captain at SM Stella Maris in Kuala Lumpur to co-founding a youth-led organisation with the aim of generating more political awareness among Malaysian youth.
More recently, the 22-year-old has been elected the student body president at Western Michigan University in the United States, with his swearing-in taking place on April 20.
This latest feather in his cap is no mean feat for any international student.
“When I received the results on March 25, I was overjoyed. I am truly honoured by the mandate. The sense of responsibility on my shoulders is far greater now,” he told StarEdu in an email interview.
His road to the presidency had all started when as a new student in the university, he encountered a stumbling block.
Eager to familiarise himself with the campus grounds upon his arrival in January last year, he discovered, to his dismay, that his request for a campus tour had been denied, while domestic students were granted guided tours. As a result, he spent the first half of the academic year having difficulty finding his way around, he recalled.
Frustrated, the undergraduate who majors in political science and global and international studies decided to join the varsity’s student government, and was employed as a student ambassador in the varsity’s Office of Admissions and as a career assistant in the Career and Student Employment Services Office.
“These experiences gave me the opportunity to understand the campus better and eventually led me to this presidency,” he said. Seeing areas where improvements could be made also motivated him in this pursuit.
“If no one was able to bring change, I felt I should be part of the change and provide solutions, instead of just complaining about it,” he added.
In running for the top post, Sun had several hurdles to cross.
“The primary challenge that I faced was that my opponent was the incumbent vice-president of the student government. He was part of the establishment and very well-connected,” he said.
To overcome this, Sun said he campaigned more vigorously.
“While my opponent had much support, I gained support from those who didn’t even know the student government existed.
“I was also able to formulate a far more compelling campaign message to the voters.
“I campaigned on the idea that the campus community can come closer together and reduce departmentalism, while my opponent’s campaign message came off as sticking with the status quo,” he shared.
Cognisant that language barriers and cultural differences played a part in the series of challenges he faced, he put a few measures in place to prevent misinterpretation.
“At times, Americans communicate with each other slightly differently compared to how Malaysians do. This is the reason why I ensured that my running mate is an American and that my campaign team help me disseminate my message,” he said.As the student body president, Sun’s role covers a myriad of responsibilities.
“Firstly, I am to serve as the primary spokesperson for the student government and the student body as a whole. In other words, I’m in charge of advocating for students.
“We also work closely with the university’s board of trustees, the office of the president, and other shared governance partners like the faculty senate, and the Graduate Student Association,” he explained.
“What keeps me inspired as a student leader are the injustices faced by students,” he said.
For international students aspiring to run for top posts at their respective universities, Sun, a Methodist College Kuala Lumpur American Degree Transfer Program alumnus, advised embracing a “Just do it!” mentality.
“As long as you keep craving for knowledge and be humble, you’ll go places. Far more importantly, it’s not the positions that you should be craving, but the opportunity to be an agent of change.
”Sydney, 18, a student in Kuala Lumpur, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team.
1 What does it mean to find one’s place in the sun?
Can you take a guess?
Next, look up the meaning of the idiom to see if you have understood it correctly.
2 Imagine that you were Sun, the newly-elected student body president.
You had been asked to give a speech at the swearing-in ceremony.
Which information provided in the article would you include in the speech and why?
How would you organise the points in your speech and what kind of tone would you use?
Who do you think would make up the audience members at the ceremony?
Discuss with an activity partner.
Then, together, write a speech to be delivered in at least one minute.
When you are done, take turns practising giving the speech and rate each other’s performance.
Since 1997, The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme has supported English language teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools nationwide. Now in its 25th year, Star-NiE is continuing its role of promoting the use of English language through a weekly activity page in StarEdu. Parents and teachers are encouraged to work on the activities with their children and students. In addition, Star-NiE’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme will continue to be a platform for participants to hone and showcase their English language skills, as well as develop their journalistic interests and instincts. Follow our updates at facebook.com/niebrats. For Star-NiE enquiries, email starnie@thestar.com.my.