Pathways To Excellence

Pathways To Excellence

By Victor TanEducation
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Pathways To Excellence episodes

  • In Conversation With Tun Dr. Mahathir: Before and Beyond The Malay Dilemma

    Welcome back to Pathways! This is a very special episode.

    In today's conversation, titled "Before and Beyond The Malay Dilemma", I had the opportunity to not only talk about a crucial social issue in Malaysia, but also to do so with the person who created the concept:
    Tun Dr. Mahathir, the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia.
    It was a monumental privilege to speak with Tun about his thoughts on education, and it was a truly incredible experience. Walking into his office felt unreal, but so did actually speaking to the man himself—shaking the hand of the leader of the country in which I live, the country that has shaped my life since the day I was born. It was deeply surreal, nigh unimaginable, yet it happened...
    And there I was, in conversation with the world's oldest elected Prime Minister, the creator of my father's final legacy - the book he had written after being cast out of UMNO - The Malay Dilemma.
    The conversation was deeply fascinating, and I am sure you will enjoy it. Here's a summary of what we discussed: stories of old, such as the legends of Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat, The Malay Dilemma, Tun's medical background, and his journey into the Education Ministership and Prime Ministership, covered throughout his memoirs. We also covered his thoughts on education, medicine as a philosophy, his way of life, his approach to politics and administration, and Malaysia's relationship with the wider world, including with Singapore, as captured in a discussion featuring the late Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime Minister of Singapore.
    As we delved into Tun's career, we discussed the UUCA (Universities and University Colleges Act) and his thoughts on it, as well as his views on science and mathematics education in English, embodied in the PPSMI policy. Our conversation was also deeply focused on books, as we explored both Tun's The Malay Dilemma and his memoir "A Doctor in the House", alongside the late Lee Kuan Yew's "From Third World to First".
    You will find links to these books below.
    The Malay Dilemma: https://geni.us/themalaydilemma
    A Doctor In The House: https://geni.us/doctorinthehouse
    From Third World To First: https://geni.us/thirdworldtofirst
    Disclosure: using these links will help support my journey and grant me a commission!
    This was an incredible and transformative conversation with a world-renowned leader.
    Love him or hate him, one thing is certain—you cannot ignore Tun Mahathir.
    It was a manifest pleasure to have this conversation with you, Tun Dr. Mahathir, and it is my great privilege to share it with the world. Thank you for your candid thoughts and your presence, for constantly surprising us with your 150 km/h wild rides — I hope that won't happen too often but hope you will enjoy yourself! I look forward to a better Malaysia, one that will continue to stand tall and lead among the nations of the world.

    57 min
  • Episode 6: Delulu Is The Solulu - Elisa See's Epic Journey to Harvard


    In today's video, I have the incredible honor of speaking to one of Malaysia's bright stars, Ms. Elisa See, who's headed to Harvard in the fall and joining Harvard's Class of 2028.
    There are many interesting parallels in our story here and there, not least, hometown, though this isn't really explored in the video, Malaysian Mensa, and a couple of other things along the way, including a haphazard encounter that was echoed during her internship because of something that I was invited to so that was really fun!
    From listening to Elisa, you’ll learn about her story, her passion for politics, the constellation of different things that she's been doing and will no doubt continue to do as she goes on to study government, and quite possibly conquer the world cough, cough, cough, along the way.
    It was really inspiring to hear about her passion for awareness, advocacy, the world around her, and to have the honor to share a small part of that, which I'm confident is going to continue to broaden and deepen in a whole bunch of different ways as she heads on to Harvard and explores life at one of the greatest universities on this planet, no doubt continuing to spam, and to succeed in spamming in progressively more ludicrous and wonderful situations, as she makes her way to conquering the planet.
    Thanks for the wonderful chat Elisa! Hope you enjoy your chicken fingers soon. And to all of you watching, please be inspired. And I look forward to watching you guys join the class of 2029. Thanks for watching and have a wonderful day ahead.
    V.

    56 min
  • Special Episode: Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram - Historicising British Colonialism, Tun Razak, and Malaysia's New Economic Policy

    Dr. Jomo Kwame Sundaram is a well-known name in academic circles, an eminent economist, member of the Council of Eminent Persons, Senior Fellow at Khazanah Research Institute, and many other things as well.

    We met at the book launch of Datuk Dr. Toh Kin Woon's Malaysia's New Economic Policy in its first decade, 1971 to 1980, during which Professor Jomo performed the book launch, delivering this lecture that emphasised the importance of the economic history, and indeed the history of our nation for providing an insight into how things have developed within Malaysia and at large from the time of Tun Razak to Tun Hussein, beginning from the base that was the May 13th riots built upon the post-colonial state that Britain had left us after our role as the crown jewel had exhausted.
    In this lecture, Professor Jomo offered many golden nuggets of insight into history, economics, and into the development of Malaysian society as a foundation for a discussion of the NEP, articulating the many different state forces and actors who were in place at that point in time, offering some insight into the development of the NEP, his collaborations with Dr. Toh at UKM, and the importance of history for understanding our current role in this world.
    A transcript of this lecture can be found here, if you prefer to read instead:
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Ds9_NY73GRoHhhTBOKHj0WJcZufsxxeQdQdRLrDx6M/edit
    Thank you, Prof Jomo, for this interesting lecture, and congratulations, Dr Toh, once again on creating an incredible book, which I have already had the privilege to finish.
    There is much more to learn than what I already have, and I look forward to discovering more in the days ahead!
    - V.
    Note: Please click "CC" on your device to view subtitles if you need them. Choose "English-United States" for a natural reading experience, or simply "English" if you would like to anticipate what Dr. Jomo is about to say.

    31 min
  • EP5: The International Mathematical Olympiad in Malaysia: A Chat with Head Coach Ivan Chan.

    Welcome back to Pathways!


    Please consider subscribing to this podcast :)


    In this conversation, Victor speaks with Ivan about his experiences training the Malaysian IMO team, his journey into mathematics, as well as his hopes and aspirations for the future of mathematical education within Malaysia and the world at large. It will be a valuable watch for you if you are interested in understanding mathematical education as well as listening to a conversation that is chock full of fascinating insights about motivation, drive, and the selection process for one of the most prestigious high school contests in the world. dive deep into the experience of some of the world's most talented mathematicians and the story of the Malaysian team and watch this video to the end!


    Thank you for watching or listening! To reach out, reach me at [email protected] if you have enquiries, or if you'd like to chat! I can also be found on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/victortanws/.


    Thank you and see you in the next episode!

    V.

    1 hr 45 min
  • EP4: Princeton, Khazanah, and A Boy From Sekinchan: The Journey of Pua Kok Wei

    If you were born in a small town far away from the rest of the big city, does that mean that you don't have a hope of achieving great academic heights? Far from it. In this video, you will hear the story of Pua Kok Wei, a current student at Princeton University and a friend of mine whom I met at USApps 2022.

    A Khazanah scholar, alumnus of KYUEM, and one of the finest students that Malaysia has ever produced, he is currently studying computer science at Princeton and has not just been studying computer science but also has been one of the very best students in the entirety of Princeton University, having bagged the prestigious Shapiro Prize. How does someone go from a small town in Malaysia over to the Ivy League? Watch this interview and you'll find out!

    32 min
  • EP3: The Story of USApps: A Conversation with Yeoh Chen Chow

    Join us in an enlightening conversation with Yeoh Chen Chow, the visionary co-founder of Fave and the driving force behind the USApps initiative. From his modest start at Jit Sin High School in Penang, through Raffles Junior College and INTEC, to his pursuit of higher education at Cornell, Chen Chow's inspiring journey is filled with valuable insights for aspiring students across the world (not just Malaysia!), and certainly has been for me as a student in early life as well.

    In this interview, Chen Chow sheds light on the USApps project, a volunteer-focused initiative that serves as a guiding beacon for Malaysian students aiming to study at top universities in the United States such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, Princeton, Duke, MIT, Cornell, Penn, Brown, Berkeley, Wesleyan, and many more! The initiative provides hands-on assistance in navigating the complex application process, understanding the intricacies of choosing the right universities, and building valuable connections.
    Whether you're a student dreaming of attending a top-tier university in the U.S., an aspiring entrepreneur seeking inspiration, or simply curious about the impact of community-driven education projects like USApps, this video is sure to offer profound insights and motivation.
    Embark on this exploration of U.S. education, discover the potential that awaits, and gain wisdom from someone who made the journey himself. Subscribe, like, and comment to join the conversation and stay updated on more engaging content!

    8 min
  • EP2: From SMKDU Student To Harvard Interviewer: The Journey of Nick Khaw
    Can you imagine just wanting to learn about pop culture, watching teen movies, one after another and listening to Blink 182 and Green Day for days and years on end, then suddenly ending up at Harvard?
    That's what happened to Nick Khaw, Head of Research at Khazanah Nasional, probably one of my most legendary high school seniors, and a member of Harvard's interview panel in Malaysia.
    It was my privilege to interview him for today's video on pathways to excellence in which we discussed Nick's early days, his journey to and eclectic experiences at Harvard as well as his ongoing thoughts as Khazanah's head of research and also a member of the Harvard interview panel in Malaysia.
    In this interview you will see plenty of of different and interesting tidbits about a vast variety of different topics, including economics, political economy, the climate, food security, and a vast variety of things related to education, human capital as viewed from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund’s perspective, and many other things as well.
    It was an honor and a privilege to have this interview and to you the viewer, I definitely learned much that was valuable from it and I'm confident that that you will as well!
    59 min
  • EP1: Environment, Passion, and Music: Angel Lim's Journey From Penang To Stanford

    Welcome to Pathways! Some of you have already started listening to this on YouTube, and there is a healthy audience, and I hope that you guys will enjoy this episode and also the rest of the series on Spotify.


    In today's episode, I had the chance to speak to Angel Lim Hui Yi, a Khazanah scholar at KYUEM, who will be taking up an offer to study at Stanford University, joining the class of 2028. We met partly because I had already spoken to her classmate, Sara Surayan, who is going to also head to Stanford to join the class of 2028, although that will come in interview form just a little later.


    During this conversation, we talked a lot about Angel's thoughts on the environment, about music, psychology, and many other things as well, in particular, her prize-winning essay for the 2020 China-Malaysia Essay Writing competition, which won her the grand prize.


    This is a wonderful lesson for you if you're interested in listening to one of our country's brightest minds talk about environmental policy, Stanford, and how she got there from where she is right now.


    Thank you so much for the wonderful conversation, and can't wait to see you again soon, Angel!


    V.

    1 hr

About Pathways To Excellence

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A podcast featuring inspiring people about their journey in education, learning, and pursuing their journey to a better future. With Victor Tan, your host and producer, we dive into education and…