Abu Sayed Rahat: The ‘Made in Ƶ’ Alumnus
Abu Sayed Rahat considers himself ‘Made in Ƶ’, having spent nine years with Ƶ University from pre-university to employment. His journey began through the Canadian International Matriculation Program (CIMP) in Ƶ College. He graduated as an Ontario Scholar and class valedictorian, then moving on to the BA (Hons) in Communication undergraduate programme.
In the first year of the programme, Sayed learned the fundamentals of communication in both theory and practice, which allowed him to make an informed decision on his specialisation in year 2. Specialising in Corporate Communications, the second year introduced industry-specific knowledge on how to draft a press release, hold press conferences, develop media relations, organisational communications, events management and think critically through the research modules. Sayed benefitted from learning components such as media planning, content management, and Corporate Social Responsibility, which he applies in his current role.
A notable moment for him stemmed from the Events Management module, where his team executed a sleep awareness campaign called ‘Need for Sleep’. The team put an inflatable bed inside the Ƶ library and posts made about it went viral – to the point of being covered in the news! Meanwhile, they executed initiatives such as teaching refugee children to read and write, help develop employable skills such as graphic design and packaging and draft sponsorship letters to potential sponsors.
In his final year, Sayed interned at Ƶ Education Group’s Branding and Corporate Communications department, which was his first hands-on communications experience. “It was so much fun to work with the team behind #TheMostHappeningCampus,” he commented. “The team invested in my ideas for newspaper and magazine ads as an intern - that feels very empowering and feeds you with confidence knowing the best idea wins, doesn’t matter who it comes from.”
After completing the degree with first-class honours, Sayed served as a Communications Specialist at the Office of the CEO, Ƶ Education Group. Through this role, he gained mentors in people like Mr. Patrick McVeigh (Director, Branding and Corporate Communications), Mr. Danial Rahman (Director in the CEO’s office), Ms. Beng Lean (Group Registrar), and Prof. Dato’ Elizabeth Lee (CEO, Ƶ Education Group) who were instrumental in Sayed’s Ƶ journey. “I owe a lot of gratitude to Prof. Dato’ Elizabeth Lee,” he expressed. “She knew that I live far away from my family and on special occasions like my birthday or Eid, she’d go out of her way to take me out and spend time with me.” The mentors taught Sayed how to be selfless, to volunteer his time for the benefit of communities, and the power in being empathetic to touch lives.
Now, Sayed works as a Specialist in Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (CR&S) at Deloitte Canada. He supports the internal and external communications for the team by planning and executing digital campaigns, handling internal communications, promoting CR&S programs and supporting young leaders through Deloitte’s One Young World program. Additionally, he plans and executes social impact programs that are designed to impact the underserved community and accelerate the pace of change. “The programme and being a student at Ƶ campus deepened my relationship towards community impact and the experiences I’ve gained is very much applicable to my current role,” he reflected, adding that the culture of community impact and giving back in Ƶ stems out to its students across all faculties.
Overall, Sayed is grateful for getting to spend his formative years in Ƶ. The campus experience and the focus on sustainability and giving back to the community influenced him to be compassionate towards people and care for the planet. “I must also credit Malaysia as a nation,” he added. “Coming from Bangladesh, I found a home in Malaysia for nine years, I saw how people from various walks of life can co-exist and celebrate each other and connect through their differences – Malaysia boleh!”
Elizabeth Marie Edwin
School of Arts
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