I took over as the Programme Leader for the Master of Arts in Communication programme on 5 July 2021, at a time when Malaysia was still under the Movement Control Order (MCO). The first two students of the programme were attending online classes. It wasn’t until the start of the new academic year in July 2022 that the university fully resumed physical classes. At that point, I stepped down from my concurrent role as Programme Leader for the Bachelor of Communication (Honours) in Media Studies programme, to focus on the Master’s programme.

The Master of Arts in Communication is a research-based programme. Students are required to take two core modules: Theories in Communication and Cultural Studies, and Research Methodology. After completing these, they focus on writing their dissertations. I believe that postgraduate students should have a broader perspective and a deeper understanding of Malaysia’s socio-political landscape. Therefore, I initiated the FCCI Postgraduate Lecture Series, inviting guests from academia, the public sphere, and the industry, especially those with critical perspectives, to give lectures and inspire the students. At the same time, I hoped that by bringing external speakers to campus, students could engage with experts beyond the university and enrich their future research resources.

The FCCI Postgraduate Lecture Series began on 16 August 2022, with three sessions held that semester. Since then, I have hosted two to three sessions each semester except for the recent semester in July 2025, when only one session took place. Over three years and seven semesters, a total of 18 sessions have been organised!

Attendance varied across these 18 lectures. Some were attended by only a handful of people. Still, I believe in the sentiment from the story “The Starfish Thrower”: “It made a difference to that one.” Even if just one student, after listening to a speaker’s sharing, gained awareness of a certain issue, reflected on it, began to pay attention to it, or even pursued related research in future, I believe it was all worth it.

These 18 lectures were made possible largely through calling in favours, with the speakers generously agreeing to participate. I remain deeply grateful for their support!

What made this journey even more meaningful for me was that three of my students from the Bachelor of Communication (Honours) in Media Studies programme, Chang Kar Kei, Chung Jia Ee, and Oon Jin Xuan, who were also the third cohort students of the Master’s programme, helped me organise the first three sessions. This laid the foundation for the tradition of Master’s students assisting with the FCCI Postgraduate Lecture Series. In each subsequent semester, newly enrolled students continued to assist me with organising the lectures.

In the final session held before the end of my tenure as Programme Leader, the speaker was Leong Hui Shan, another of my students from the Bachelor of Communication (Honours) in Media Studies, who later went on to pursue further studies at the College of Communication, National Chengchi University. It was a perfect finale.

I feel truly fortunate to have such supportive students.