Rachelle Liew Sze Chia
Bachelor of Communication (HONS) Public Relations
Alumni August 2008
Attended to Scholarship Exchange Program "European Intercultural Learning"

I = Interviewer R=Rachelle

I: Could you tell us briefly about your background?

R: My name is Rachelle Liew Sze Chia from Batu Pahat, Johor. My course taken in UTAR is Bachelor of Communication (HONS) Public Relations, I graduated in August 2008. I was absent for the convocation because I was on my way back from Turkey. It was one of the things I regret but that was my choice to have my exchange program in Turkey. Recently I am working as a Corporate Communication Executive. I come from a single parent family and I have a mother and 2 sisters. My father left us when I was 2 weeks old and this setback has motivated me to succeed even until today. I participated in the scholarship exchange program "European Federation Intercultural Learning", under the American Field Study International in Europe. This is a exchange program for students. This is a one month exchange program - Malaysia sent only three participants. I was sent to Turkey and attended a volunteer workshop at Vienna, fully sponsored by AFS. The name of the program is "Strength in Diversity". I did have a lot of fun in this program even though August was not a good time for us to travel because of the hot weather.

I: Why do you choose this field of study?

R: I realize that my strength is in communication and I am an outgoing person. I don't like mathematics, IT or business courses, I therefore chose my specialization in Public Relations.

I: Please share with us some of your experience during the exchange program.

R: I traveled to Turkey on my own and I was the only Asian in the exchange program there. Many I met could not speak English and this posed a problem. On the first day of my journey, I traveled 15 hours by air and another 10 hours by bus from Istanbul to Kusadasi which was where my host family lived. In Turkey, cheesy food, olives and bread are popular foods. Rice is seldom served. After a while, I grew to love the yogurt and cheesy food. I was interviewed by a local newspaper during my stay in Turkey. The hot topic during that time was the wearing of headscarf (tudung). They asked for my opinions. Initially, I was afraid that this would bring up racial issues but media in Europe is different. Anyway, the press was very friendly as they understood that I was an exchange student.

I: How long have you been with your current job?

R: I have worked in this company for one year. I joined this company before I went to Turkey.

I: Could you describe your job scope and the challenges faced?

R: My current job is in corporate communication both for internal and external communication. For my job, I have to write. The main challenge is my level of English. English is important for business and I look forward to improving my English.

I: What is/are the motivational factor/s that drives you on?

R: I enjoy my life everyday because of my positive attitude in the things I do.

I: Any advice or words of wisdom to share with UTAR's alumni and students?

R: Just list down the goals you would like to achieve. Have more confidence in yourself.