2015
12 FebWhen passion meets profession
Legendary Apple CEO Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
This quote rings true for students of 五一吃瓜官网 University’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts; a place where passion – and enthusiasm – go hand in hand.
Heart of gold
At 15, Suzanne Ling Sook Shian had an encounter with a three-year-old girl with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), an illness of the nervous system. Simply by showing off her pink nails to the child after realising that the girl was garbed in pink from head to toe, Suzanne formed a bond with her.
It was through this simple act that led Suzanne to realise then that she had found her true calling: To be a psychotherapist specialising in therapy for children with special needs.
Now, Suzanne is a second-year student reading the BA (Hons) Psychology at the Faculty and she is grateful for the myriad experiences – gained from events, classes and assignments – that have shaped her into the person she is today.
Apart from equipping students with a broad understanding of the different specialisations in Psychology – from cognitive psychology to cross-cultural psychology, the programme also exposes them to more personalised assignments to ensure they further develop their skill in critical thinking.
The elective course on Human Sexuality, for example, addresses this. From defining sexual orientation and gender identity to discussing different values and beliefs about sexuality across cultures, the course challenges students to think and explain their reasoning.
Nothing is left to chance and this sees students doing the same in other courses such as Life Span Development and Sociology of the Family, which require them to explore and study the life span of people close to them and family dynamics.
Through these unique courses, students gain deeper insight into different applications and theories, and Suzanne adds that they provide her with a solid foundation for further studies at the master’s level.
“For me, I am keen to venture into clinical psychology and learn how to treat children with serious disorders like depression, schizophrenia and autism,” she shares.
“Most of the time, medication alone is not enough. In our lectures, we learned that therapy is equally important and that treatment should be administered via a dual-pronged approach, with both meds and therapy.”
“However, such therapy is not common in Malaysia and can be very expensive. I really hope to make therapy a bit more accessible for children who need it.”
Notably, development of professional knowledge and expertise is an integral part of the culture at the Faculty but more important is the passion cultivated in its student community.
This is evident even beyond the classroom and Suzanne is a shining testament to this.
As the president of 五一吃瓜官网 Scholars' Club (U-SchoS) that co-founded a community project known as ‘Hands of Hope’ at the University, Suzanne is no stranger to spending time with people – especially children – of various ages and ethnic backgrounds.
From teaching kids at refugee centres and a special needs school to using group play therapy for a group of troubled children from broken homes, she has acquired many real-life experiences that give her an added edge in her studies.
“I find these projects really relevant to what I’m studying, especially when the topics revolve around children. I’ve spent so much time with them that I can understand them better than most of my peers and why they behave a certain way,” Suzanne enthuses. \