The winter holidays proved to be a productive one for Malaysian students from all corners of Australia as they gathered in Sydney to attend a four-day event organised by Malaysians for Malaysians: The Malaysian Summit of Australia (Masa).

An event that has been crowned ‘The Best International Student Event in Australia’ in 2015 by the Council of International Students Australia (CISA) was back in full swing in chilly Sydney.

Recently in its fourth instalment, Masa, an annual summit organised by the Malaysian Students Council of Australia (Masca) has established itself as a platform fostering excellence, developing leadership and cultivating friendship among the Malaysian students in Australia.

This year’s July summit was comprised of five key components: the Masa Student Leaders Agenda (SLA), Masa Conference, Masa Careers, Masa Awards and Masa Games. The event began with the Masa Conference, an event developed to promote dialogue and stimulate thought-provoking solutions.

The keynote speaker, Keith Miranda, the president of the Australian Malaysian Business Council (AMBC), set the tone of the conference with advice on humility, “Don’t be scared to expand your horizons, but don’t forget where you came from”.

Also weighing in on conference dialogue were YB Tian Chua, the PKR vice-president, and Shahril Hamdan of the Pemuda Umno executive committee. Both shared their opinions on the freedom of speech and discussed the privacy issues surrounding the Millennial Generation’s social media obsession.

The second half of the conference was represented by Keith Miranda, Ehon Chan, executive director of the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC), Rudy Malik, CEO of iM4U and Teh Shao Wei, president of Malaysians of Melbourne University. Together the four discussed the topic of ‘Suits and Tie versus The Entrepreneur’, sharing experiences of success and divulging details on the defining moments of their careers.

A quote to keep was Rudy Malik’s pathway to success, “You need to set certain goals, and see the dream. There isn’t any difference between both sides but you need to define your goals very well.” Furthermore, a statement from Keith advising the youth on their journey to success, “Take ownership of your own personal development.”

Without a doubt, this session was beneficial and greatly impacted the participants as the crowd engaged with the speakers with curious questions about the corporate world they were about to enter.

The event proceeded with Masa Careers, a platform for students to engage with industry leaders and obtain an insight of life in the field they plan to pursue. This year, participating companies engaged with the students via a career fair as well as virtual engagement sessions to shed light onto the industry they are in and their daily routines.

Masa Careers also facilitated a case study competition, Corporate Prodigy, allowing the creme de la creme of our Malaysian students here in Australia to portray their skills to the participating organisations.

Masa Games in full swing

The last two days of the summit were spent in grassy fields and bright lit courts. Nothing could stand in the way of the spirits of our youthful athletes, not even the frosty winter winds. The Masa Games was in full swing and participants competed in handball, frisbee, badminton, futsal, rugby, touch rugby, soccer, volleyball and table tennis.

Participants bonded over their mutual love for sports and friendship among individuals from various parts of Malaysia and we saw the value of unity further enforced as many shook hands for the first time, laughed as they hugged, pleased to be reunited. The participants showed superb sportsmanship throughout the games and it was great to see the bond among the rich culture and various ethnicity of Malaysia.

Masa aspires to be an event with a purpose beyond the grandeur of size and titles. The committee seeks to utilise Masa as a means to build a better Malaysia. They believe in the power of unity, and thus, made it their mission to encourage every Malaysian to keep the faith and help further develop Malaysia to the great country that it is.

The committee has worked hard and hoped to have open the minds of Malaysian students studying abroad to return home to our beloved motherland, so that we together as leaders, can help steer Malaysia in the right direction.

The students behind Masa have only a few months to catch their breaths before the planning in preparation of the 5th Masa in 2017 kicks off. The baton of hosting an unforgettable 5th Masa is now in the hands of the Malaysian students in Melbourne.

So to all of you coming over to further your studies, stay tuned!