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Self reflection, My Pledge and Commitment, and My Personal Development Plan 

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Self reflection, My Pledge and Commitment, and My Personal Development Plan 

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1. Self Reflection

I feel like I learned the most about leadership in the past few months more than anything and I'd like to highlight the one lesson I think I will always keep at the back of my mind moving forward. I learned to always have a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the leaders we look up to in order not to see both the bad and good in them. This way, we give ourselves the ability to not only learn the good, but also the chance to avoid the bad.

2. My Pledge and Commitment

My commitment to Malaysia remains the same as the pledge I made to YK when I took up the scholarship and that is to play a part in the development of human capital in the country. I will continue to work hard towards that goal and try working with everyone around me to reach their fullest potential while learning from them to reach my own.

3. My Personal Development Plan

As of right now, I plan to enter finance because I feel that financial literacy is the best way to human capital development for the country. I strongly believe that only when capital flows to the right places at the right time can they help those who need it most be at their most productive. I foresee myself participating in the traditional financial services industry for a number of years before making a stride into venture capital.

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Self reflection, my pledge and commitment and my personal development plan

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Self reflection, my pledge and commitment and my personal development plan

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1. Self reflection
A leader, especially in the world we are living today, requires skills and knowledge that can only be acquired through training and experience. In today's world, authority forms a rather small percentage in effective leadership as people now care more about the values, vision, traits and qualities that one can deliver as a leader. For leaders, this shift in the way people perceive leadership calls for a greater attention towards a more holistic leadership approach. This creates a better leader-member engagement and drives value creation. I am grateful to have been able to learn some of these skills throughout the past 3 months. The focus on the 17 SDGs was especially helpful as it puts into perspective on why ethical work must be the main focus of our generation to ensure a strong and sustainable future for all.

2. My pledge and commitment
I strive to become someone who leads with integrity, great sense of cause and delivers positive values to the society. It is my aim to promote the eradication of poverty and inequality in Malaysia.

3. My personal development.
a) Engage more
To participate in more volunteer programs in the UK and Malaysia

b) Learn new skills through courses and network with more people to be more adaptive to changes.

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Self reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan

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Self reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan

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1. Self reflection
A key takeaway from the past 3 months is the understanding that we have the ability, power and responsibility to do more than we usually give ourselves credit for. There is more to a great leader than what we usually hear. Apart from having the intelligence, IQ and EQ, great leaders are also the ones that are ethically responsible - maintaining faithfulness, honouring promises, being impartial, and respecting the people they are leading under any circumstance; great leaders are those who strive to lead positive, meaningful change. In short, this programme has enabled me to understand in-depth the foundation, process and making of a great leader - one that I strive to be.

2. My pledge and commitment

I promise to meaningfully utilise my skills, ability, time and effort to causes that are pertinent now, more than ever; causes that bring about impact to the social scene in Malaysia.

3. My personal development plan

(a) Be active in social organisation and causes like NGOs

(b) Further develop my skillset through programmes and courses - or even firsthand experience

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Self Reflection, My Pledge and Commitment and My Personal Development Plan

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Self Reflection, My Pledge and Commitment and My Personal Development Plan

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1. Self Reflection
Overall it is clear that there is so much that one person can do to help the world and others, and they don't necessarily have to do all of it themselves. Instead, focus on the fields and areas to thrive in, and effectively achieve the 17 SDGs that way. Being given the privilege and access to basic rights (education, food, shelter etc) only puts more than enough on our plate to give back to those who aren't as fortunate.

2. My Pledge and Commitment
I aim to help those on the other end of the inequality spectrum by volunteering in more NGOs with varying focuses. I also aspire to apply the technical skills I learn in my degree and work experiences into future endeavours in activism and humanitarian work.

3. My Personal Development Plan
a) Be more involved in organisations and NGOs
b) Be braver in reaching out to reach out professionals in the fields I'm interested in
c) Stay in the loop with current issues and the developments around them

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Self reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan

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Self reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan

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1. Self reflection
Good leadership is necessary in creating meaningful change in any ecosystem. However, the most significant takeaway from these sessions are that leaders are not born or made overnight; it takes practice- from learning emotional intelligence, decision-making, communication, dealing with difficult situations and above all, understanding the causes and end goals that we are leading our organizations to. Are we leading people to do good for our community? Are our actions as leaders just and fair to all stakeholders? Have our decisions caused harm to marginalised communities?

Being a good leader is one thing, but being a leader who champions the "right" causes is another. I have learnt to be self-aware as an individual in a position of privilege, and the importance of realising these meaningful changes in a global setting.

2. My Pledge and Commitment
I promise to be a good leader; with integrity and awareness in all that I do. To be aware and to have a hand at creating meaningful changes, no matter how small it may be; by understanding and advocating for causes that require attention.

3. My personal development plan

a) Start small. Bringing about positive changes to the organizations and groups that I am already leading to promote cohesion and collaboration in achieving more meaningful goals.

b) Increase awareness. Networking with individuals who are advocates of change and reading up more on current affairs and deeply understanding them in order to become a better advocate for these issues.

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Self reflection, my pledge and commitment and my personal development plan

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Self reflection, my pledge and commitment and my personal development plan

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Self reflection
I have learned the importance of resilience and having a strong belief for the cause. The speakers have shared plenty of situations where there have been immense limitations and challenges imposed upon them or their respective NGOs, situations where it would have been difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel but they kept fighting, they battled and came out of it having positively impacted the lives of many others.

My pledge and commitment
I would like to play my part in ensuring all children in Malaysia, regardless of race, religion and background have access to quality education, whether it be the via policy-making, activism or volunteering.

My personal development plan
I would like to volunteer in relevant programs or NGOs to better understand the weaknesses in our education system and develop ideas on how to improve it.

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Self Reflection, My Pledge and Commitment, and My Personal Development Plan

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Self Reflection, My Pledge and Commitment, and My Personal Development Plan

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1. Self Reflection
A great leader is not necessarily defined by one who does great things himself; but rather the one who inspires others to do great things - Ronald Reagan
I think this is especially true when it comes to community work. If a leader wants to realize the society that he/she envisions, he/she has to be able to inspire others to work towards the common goal - and this comes from doing the work themselves, reaching out to the people at the ground level and listening to each of them as individuals.

2. My Pledge and Commitment
In my time as an undergraduate, I will participate in organizations that provide aid to the urban poor, especially those with disabilities. With the pandemic still rampant in the US, I believe that small actions (such as free online tutoring for students), carried out consistently over a long period of time, could positively impact these communities in a substantial way.

After I complete my studies, I envision myself bridging wealth inequality (and subsequently education and welfare inequality) in Malaysia through Statistics and Actuarial Studies.

3. Personal Development Plan
a) Join organizations in the US that work with urban poor; learn from their experience as well as their mistakes; find out how to apply it to our Malaysian Society
b) Create a strong network of people across the spectrum - could one day come together to bridge wealth inequality

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Self reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan

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Self reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan

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Self reflection
A great leader is someone who can think neutrally without any biases, someone who could approach people in an inclusive manner with an open mind. I am naturally a left centrist economically, socially and politically, but after reflecting the other end of the spectrum, the intention in both extreme ideas are good and I can’t seem to point out which is wrong or right. Hence, I concluded that an open mind is necessary to come up with a comprehensive decision.

My pledge and commitment
I want to strive in the area I’m pursuing with the end in mind which is to help people in Malaysia especially the less fortunate.

My personal development plan

- I want to make a project to solve a problem in society

- I want to connect with most people as possible

- I want to pursue in some form of further studies

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

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1. Self-Reflection

An important factor in introducing change is to understand the will of the people and how they would respond to the change we wish to implement; inspiring change is ideal rather than simply enforcing it.

2. My Pledge and Commitment

I aspire to learn how to analyse economic impact more effectively and how to better use economic forces to maximise change and impact. Being able to translate economic data into accessible information is a critical skill in pushing forwards policy with real impact. I hope to be able to contribute towards the betterment of society be it in governmental organisations or NGOs.

3. Personal Development Plan

-Acquire systematic and cutting-edge knowledge on economic analysis.
-Develop my experience and understanding of organisations and their structures.
-Improve understanding of current issues and their root causes.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan

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1. Self-reflection

The idea that has stuck with me the most is that leadership is not just about being able to envision a better future. We should also be working towards producing results that will guarantee it. We cannot let idealism cloud our minds and make us all too ready to disregard practicalities, necessitated by the context of the environments we are in; nor can we let ourselves be overcome with a defeatist attitude. This all means that leaders should be able to champion for better things, but understand the nuances of bringing about such change. It is important to be able to accept and work around practices and traditions we disagree with, if it means we can pave the way for a better future. This must be balanced with strong moral character and an ability to evaluate what we can concede to and what we cannot allow to pass.

2. My Pledge and Commitment

I will participate in organisations that aid marginalised communities, both during my time as an undergraduate and when I have finished my degree. I would personally want a focus on providing help to refugees and creating access to education for the poor.

After finishing my degree, I'd like to influence economic policy in Malaysia as an instrument to address inequalities and uplift low-income households. As a future leader, I will ensure the adoption of ethical and sustainable practices in the company/organisation I work at.

3. Personal Development Plan

a) Join organisations and societies to learn more about how charity work is executed,  engage in on-the-ground situations with marginalised communities, and develop my cultural awareness.

b) Network and form connections to be in a better position to achieve my pledge.

c) Plan my own projects where possible as part of developing my organisational capabilities and leadership skills.

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Lab 9 consists of three parts (self-reflection, my pledge & personal commitment, and my personal development plan):

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Lab 9 consists of three parts (self-reflection, my pledge & personal commitment, and my personal development plan):

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1. Self-Reflection

The biggest thing I’ve been able to reinforce in my head, because of YKLDP and specifically from CBL, was that community-centric work cannot exist in silos. There needs to be collaboration across different layers of our community, and specifically cross-functional collaboration, in order to achieve the societal outcomes we want.

2. My Pledge and Commitment

I want to continue trying to play my part in the vast education landscape we have here in Malaysia, be it through work on-the-ground, or through policymaking. Education, especially for marginalised communities, is a deep passion of mine and my love for the field will be my guiding light, moving forward.

3. Personal Development Plan (PDP)

I want to develop these leadership qualities:

a) The vision for collaborative work, as opposed to individualistic work

b) The ability to use and produce data, to analyse progress and direction

c) The strength to persevere despite institutional and structural obstacles

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan

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1. Self-Reflection
Change cannot be achieved by individuals without the help of others. A good leader is nothing without a solid team. Leaders need to build, guide and inspire teams which are inclusive and resilient. This means actively recognising our biases, listening to all voices, and looking out for the health and wellbeing of the whole team.

2. My Pledge and Commitment
I hope to help in whatever way I can to efforts to improve the strategy, planning and implementation of public policies in Malaysia, as well as efforts to improve the operating model of government and government linked institutions and entities. I believe that change like this is necessary if we are to improve the outcomes of policy and government action.

3. Personal Development Plan
-Learn as much as I can from relevant subjects/areas to enhance my ability to contribute to the country and its citizens
-Network and take part in opportunities that allow me to gain a deeper understanding of both issues on the ground and the current situation in government

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Self-Reflection, pledge, commitment and personal development plan

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Self-Reflection, pledge, commitment and personal development plan

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1. Self-reflection

It is more to the world than what is visible to us. A necessity to one might be a luxury to others. Hence, global knowledge is important in order to help local communities to meet their end needs, survive and develop. There is no one-size-fits-all approach in tackling challenges to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Volunteering is more than just lending a helping hand, it is about connecting with the community and appreciating their cultures.

2. Pledge and Commitment

Performance metrics and reports are not always reflective of the actual situation on the ground. This shifts the focus of, especially state actors from matters that need to be addressed most. Hence, as an actuarial student I hope to make numbers, statistics and reports more responsible, accessible and understandable by the public so that the awareness in improving life quality can be widely spread.

3. Personal Development Plan

Being transparent is the key to gain trust. A leader will only be capable to help the nation if he/she is trusted by the people. Therefore, it is my life principle to be transparent in any situations that I face so that my credibility is well portrayed. Besides, I wish to improve my communication skills so that I can be well connected and approachable by my colleagues. Improving this will help to achieve better discussions, understanding and promote inclusivity within an organisation to tackle any challenges that may arise.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

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Self-reflection

I learn about how to manage and offer help as a team. Taking care of your mental health is also important as a volunteer as it can get very overwhelming

My pledge and Commitment
I will help people learning how to code as accessible as possible to the masses. Learning how to code opens up to new possibilities in someone's career. Although we have a lot of free resources on the internet, people still struggle to learn from it because of language barrier and most of the resources are in English.

Personal Development Plan (PDP)
Involving activities that requires me to teach people how to code.
Understand how people actually learn new things to make sure that it is easy for them understand.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

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1. Self-Reflection

It is important to understand that the skills and knowledge we possess through our opportunities of self-improvement is not a privilege for just ourselves, but a responsibility given to be used to help empower our community. Every plan of action for our community must be made with the future generations in mind, be they huge changes or small changes in the details of our community. Everyone has a right to have opportunities for self-development and we must act to ensure that right is upheld.

2. My Pledge and Commitment

Studying economics and being a part-time volunteer at a charity in London that focuses on helping children on improving their literacy skills has instilled within me the importance of literacy in young children. Having good literacy skills is important in opening doors for opportunities of self-improvement for anyone. I pledge to engage myself in similar charities or NGOs in Malaysia and help to spread more awareness on this issue in hopes that future generations will hopefully not be hampered in terms of literacy skill.

3. Personal Development Plan

I hope to learn more on the NGOs that currently tackle the issue of literacy amongst the children in Malaysia, so that I may be better equipped with the knowledge in the field. I also wish to improve my communication and self-organisation with the goal of helping me better convey my ideas to others.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

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1. Self-Reflection

It was so refreshing and inspiring to learn from leading voices in the humanitarian scene in Malaysia that champion marginalized communities and vulnerable populations, in Malaysia and abroad.

Throughout the YKLDP programme, I had learnt the importance of collaboration in pursuit of a greater good, whilst not leaving out the human element in humanitarian work. The former includes values like cross-cultural respect, non-discrimination in dissemination of aid, partnerships with NGOs, neutrality and independence from biases/detrimental demands from donors/governments. The latter involves compassion fatigue, feeling deprived of motivation in volunteer work, negotiation with parties in instances of kidnapping/political barriers to aid, and bridging our own gaps of understanding and experiences in empathizing with refugees / underprivileged students.

In umbrella organizations, it is important to understand and make clear your principles of neutrality and where you stand, but this does not mean there is only one way to achieve change and that you impose this on to your NGOs. Must respect other organizations and individuals' method of achieving change.

Exit strategy must be focused on building resilience to combat dependence on aid. Are people on the ground equipped with the necessary skills/resources to be self-sustaining (like starting up their own business)? Are they better prepared for future crises, are they adaptable? Who can they contact if they encounter issues - trained community leaders, local NGOs etc.

2. My Pledge and Commitment

During this summer break, I had been engaging in many one-off volunteer missions from an organisation in the UK called GoodGym. I think it is a great start-up idea, where each volunteer mission correspond to one "good deed" and volunteers are motivated to rack up as many good deeds since that earns them more badges. We had made significant progress in helping to alleviate the load of the charities and food banks we regularly collaborate with, such as Single Homeless Project, Camden Food Bank and BMS Prison and Homelessness Outreach. GoodGym also consists of a very nice community of volunteers. This summer project I engaged in helped me be connected to a wide range of communities in need from all over London, without eating away much of my time due to the flexibility in choosing the one-off missions. From this, I pledge to freely expend the physical manpower I currently have to help make a difference in our London communities, as part of a long-term project in potentially establishing a similar initiative in Malaysia.

3. Personal Development Plan (PDP)

- Become part of GoodGym's Westminster Taskforce and learn more about taking the initiative, identifying need within my own area and being in charge of providing support to charities (mainly physical tasks) and the elderly in my neighbourhoods (making a point to visit an elderly individual to socialize with them, doing physical tasks that they can't do themselves like grocery shopping / mowing the lawn)
- Ask them if they are interested in expanding their organization overseas. Find out how we can start this kind of initiative in Malaysia and involve young students and working adults who may not have the time to do long-term volunteer work but have some free time to do one-off volunteer work that can immensely benefit charities/food banks short of manpower. By extension, this would increase their efficiency and they would be able to serve vulnerable communities better. I hope to achieve this through discussions with GoodGym's TaskForce leaders and founders.
- Be more proactive and establish clear lines of communication between actors in the volunteer scene. I plan to improve my communication skills through doing more debating and judging in debating competitions.
- Be willing to learn more skills beyond physical - skills needed for start-up and business. I plan to do this through being involved with start-up competitions.
- Strengthen my principles and remind myself of the reason why I am doing what I am doing so I can be consistent and preserve my stamina. Learning questions will help me achieve this, and help mitigate future issues like compassion fatigue.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

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1. Self-Reflection

A leader is someone with a vision of making the world a better place even in the smallest ways and has plans to make the vision into reality. It is important to grab every opportunity available to contribute as much as possible to the community that we live in. Being privileged with all these opportunities for self-development, it is our responsibility to help the underprivileged to receive the same opportunity too.

2. My Pledge and Commitment

Studying PPE is teaching me to understand how the world works and how humans interact. If given the opportunity to be involved in policy-making in the future, I will be committed to creating policies that are guided by SDG especially in closing the disparity in opportunities that are present between different races, regions, gender, and socioeconomic background. Regardless, I will still advocate for better policies that are better for everyone in anyway possible.

3. Personal Development Plan

- Equip myself with the knowledge of current issues and acquire knowledge regarding them.
- Work with NGOs that strive to tackle the issue of inequality.
- Participate in workshops and courses on public policy building.

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Self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan.

1. Self-Reflection

I learned that it is important to be updated with current events. Just because you do not experience a certain struggle, does not mean it does not exist. Those who are privileged have the responsibility to give back to those in need because the success that you have right now is not attributed to your efforts alone, but it is the accumulation of opportunities and pathways given by those around you. Your skills and intelligence are not yours to claim, it is a communal asset. It belongs to the people of Malaysia, and it is your responsibility to give back to the millions of people who were less fortunate than you were.

2. My Pledge and Commitment

As we are living in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, I believe EEE is a pertinent major since Malaysia is in serious need of more innovators to propel our country forward in terms of technology. To me, we are very much lagging in the advancements of the Internet of Things (IoT), a term that basically implies that everyday machines and devices communicating with each other through the Internet allowing for the collection of valuable data for future usage. The importance of IoT is not only by its technological value but mainly by its ability to create new value propositions and potential revenue streams. Gartner, the world’s leading research and advisory company predicts that the IoT install base will skyrocket to a staggering 26 billion units by the year 2020. Thus, this clearly highlights the significance of the implementation of IoT to ensure that our country can take advantage of the economic benefits that come with its implementation.

3. Personal Development Plan (PDP)

I aspire to help Malaysia in progressing its research and development regarding IoT in hopes of creating a technological Eco-system that blurs the line between departments such as education, economics, and even medicine by fusing these vastly different worlds together through technology. I believe that the main problem with this goal is the lack of exposure to the matter, which I plan to tackle head-on when I finish my studies. Good exposure to IoT allows younger generations ample opportunities to learn and understand its concept that will in turn be used to further expand on the advancements in that field. This will ensure that our nation will have a continuous stream of young innovators which will secure our country’s economic stability in the years to come.

My plan is to bring insight into technology through the means of competitions and the introduction of proper ICT learning modules for secondary schools by collaborating with the government and organizations such as MDEC. My experience from joining competitions and has influenced my interest in technology and has helped me discover my potential in that field, so I intend to create the same opportunity for the generations to come.

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Lab 9 consists of three parts: self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan. 

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Lab 9 consists of three parts: self-reflection, my pledge and commitment, and my personal development plan. 

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Scholars are required to prepare you reflections based on the questions below;

1. Self-Reflection

What have you learnt throughout the YKLDP programme? Write a short description of what you have learnt throughout the YKLDP programme?

2. My Pledge and Commitment

What and how you can contribute to the betterment of society. Based on your self-reflection, come up with a pledge and commitment you want to achieve.

3. Personal Development Plan (PDP)

What leadership qualities you want to develop in the next 3-5 years to help achieve your pledge?

Submit the three items above in Padlet by 3rd September 2021 at 5:00 pm (MYT).

Should you have any enquiries, please contact Amelyn at 016-272 1562 or Ashira at 01111-294 670