WHO knew responding to a poster on a school bulletin board could lead to a life-altering experience?
When he was a student at Methodist Boys’ Secondary School Kuala Lumpur in the late 1990s, Aaron Gill (pic) spotted an interesting notice that prompted him to apply for The Star’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme.
It was a decision that would spark an enriching six-year journey across various activities for the KLite, who would later become one of the founding members of MyTeksi (now Grab).
“I took part in my first BRATs workshop in Kota Baru, Kelantan, where we interviewed a Manora (Southern Thai performance art) dancer. It was a good experience,” the 46-year-old recalled.
Tasked with writing an article on “cued speech”, a visual tool to help communicate with those with hearing impairments, as well as interviewing AIDS patients and survivors, at workshops facilitated by The Star journalists and BRATs programme coordinators, Aaron was soon hooked on the art and craft of storytelling.
“Volunteering (in the various BRATs initiatives) got me involved in a lot of fun activities; it was much better than just sitting around.
“Most people think it’s just a cub journalist programme but it was actually more of a self-discovery activity for many kids like me.
“It forced us into teamwork, difficult roles and hard conversations, where I discovered innate skills I never knew I had,” he said.
The BRATs training ground fundamentally shifted his worldview and outlook on life. Before joining the programme, Aaron admitted that he was a typical disgruntled teenager, constantly wondering why the world was unfair.
“But when I joined BRATs, I realised many other people have much less than me,” he said.
Aaron later went on to intern at The Star to fulfil his university’s industrial training requirements and helped build a teen-centric site where the youth could have their say.
This confluence of interests translated to his subsequent success in the tech world.
One of the most critical skills he picked up was the art of selfless listening, which became part of the bedrock of MyTeksi’s early success.
“When we were building the app, we didn’t say, ‘Oh, I think this is the best way to do it because I’m so smart.’
“My partner and I went to taxi call centres almost every week to observe and speak with the call operators.
“We spent a lot of time listening to the ladies in the radio call centres and the taxi drivers downstairs.
“We would buy them teh tarik and try to understand their frustrations,” he said, sharing how they then set out to build a system that could help solve these problems.
The BRATs training, he said, helped him stay open-minded.
Learning to listen to others taught him a lot about gathering different perspectives, feedback and input before coming to a conclusion.
Today, Aaron’s career in tech has spanned everything from building large-scale web systems to improving the ticket-buying user experience for a local cinema chain.
After helping to grow the Jaya Grocer online business, he currently serves as the co-chairman of Everrise Department Stores, a recent addition to the Grab network, in Kuching, Sarawak.
Reflecting on his journey, Aaron mused that life may have been vastly different had he not spotted the BRATs school bulletin poster.
“I always thought my world would just revolve around Malaysia. I never had a chance to study or even travel overseas in my youth.
“My younger self would never have imagined that he would have achieved all of this today.
“I always knew I would be in tech because that was my passion, but I never knew the things I worked on would impact people across the region,” he said with a smile.
When asked what advice he would give today’s youth forging their own path in a rapidly changing world, Aaron was empathetic.
“There are so many unknowns but as long as you are a critical thinker with the ability to communicate and collaborate well with others, you’ll be fine. Artificial intelligence can never replicate these,” he offered.
For students wondering what to do with their lives, Aaron advised them not to just sit around and wait.
“Make the most of life. Don’t worry about the outcome; just do something – anything. You can always make it better.”
This feature is part of a series spotlighting alumni of The Star’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme in celebration of Star Media Group’s 55th anniversary. Since 1993, the programme has benefited thousands of Malaysian teenagers, instilling journalistic instincts and ethics, and above all, a spirit of curiosity. To stay connected, visit facebook.com/niebrats or follow @starbrats.
