Working with Arus

We interviewed some of our team members to find out what they think about Arus.

Read on the Question and Answer session below to know more about it!  

If you were to describe your experience with Arus in one word or phrase, what will that be? 

Roller-coaster! 

It feels like going to school. 

Exploration

Sincerity

Fulfilment

Interviewing Yi Hoong, our Maker Space Coordinator since January 2018. 

What do you like about Arus the most? 

Woodworking and craft. That is my hobby which is what I will do to release stress. I feel happy doing that. To me, when I first happened to learn about my possible role in Arus, I was like “OMG, this is unbelievable!”. I can sustain my life by doing things that I like! 

What do you like about working with Arus? 

Management. I have to give credit to Daniel and Alina for their genuine concern to the team members and them being extremely flexible. I think the flexibility we have in Arus boosted our work efficiency and creativity. 

Tell me your story with Arus that highlights your growth. 

Unexpectedly, I was given the chance to teach. It was scary at first. Not having an education background, I had biased expectations where I strongly believe that everything taught in class must be of correct and complete information or with reference. To me, a tiny mistake of misleading information can bear a massive responsibility, which made teaching the worst job on earth. Soon, I got to realise that teaching is more of an art of communication. What is important is you get the students’ attention and they learn what they needed to learn, not overwhelmed by technical knowledge. A lesson can be fun and it can be sad. It can be filled with all kinds of emotion. I have even been given a chance to create content for a class. Along the way, I made a lot of mistakes but the journey was extremely enjoyable. It was like writing a script for a movie or writing a song and leading the class to sing that song together. Certainly, I got tired sometimes when there was too much to juggle with. When I am lost, the class will be lost as well. All and all, it is an amazing experience and I know I must be so lucky to be here.

Our charming Program Associate, Faizah, since June 2018. She carries laughter with her wherever she goes.

What do I like about Arus the most? 

There is not much to not like about Arus. Last year I lived in Sunway City, which was only 20 mins away from SITEC’s cool office. Yeap, I love the workplace, the studio and the co-working space. I like that there are events every Tuesday at SITEC, which also means free food and free knowledge if I want and can peep in. Internally with the Arus team, I have a great employer-employee relationship. The culture practices a low power distance, allowing me to always be able to express what I feel, what I want to know and what I don’t understand. Felicia and Alina usually introduce me to others as “My team” or “My colleague”. Most of the time it made me feel very welcomed. I often feel small when surrounded by these amazing people in Arus. I am the youngest, and still pursuing my part-time degree at a local university. I still often wonder how I even got here. However, that is one of the things that I like about Arus the most. The team has a strong educator’s spirit. I guess most of the time my colleagues see me as a student. I feel like a student. But that’s my biggest value, I get to learn. In my discomfort, I gauge opportunities. 

What other things you would want people to know? 

Arus has gotten big projects from big companies, but I am proud to say that Arus is very selective. If the project does not accommodate to Arus’s vision, mission and motive, regardless whose offering, NO is always an option. The aim and purpose are always to help, to educate. The profit only goes back to the equipment, maintenance, free education and so on. On some of my bad days, when my friends talk about their work at a big name company and the benefits they’re getting, I would go back to my bed and think. “I am a part of a noble cause, the process for someone’s better future”.

Wei Young, our courteous Academy Teacher since February 2019. 

What do you like about Arus the most? 

Arus provides an opportunity for students to experience what relevant learning (project-based learning) is in addition to the provision of STEM-based skills. Of all, Arus is a safe space where students can seek individual advice from teachers who are genuinely there to listen to their concerns. In this safe space, these young ones can freely explore their true selves, discover their passions and search for the best available option for their future. 

What do you like about working with Arus? 

I like that I get to learn and experience various new educational technologies while having the opportunity to work with students and share learning experiences with the young ones. 

Tell me your story with Arus that highlights your growth. 

I joined to Arus with zero computer programming knowledge and limited electronics and wood-working skills. I was kind of worried in terms of competency as an Academy Teacher given that my unrelated education background and being inexperience in this field. However, things are not as complicated as I had imagined. With some reading and practices, coupled with sitting in the class with the students to “learn” the material, I have somehow managed to understand the basics to conduct lessons. For me, I see this as my personal growth from limited knowledge on Arus’ programmes to a teacher capable of running Arus’ lesson. And of course, I realize that there is so much more to learn here at Arus. 

If you were to recommend Arus to someone who might be interested to work/collaborate with Arus, what will you say? 

Arus is different from any other job out there. The open culture here welcomes anyone who genuinely cares about kids and is willing to go the extra mile in learning new skills. It is a place where learning and teaching blend into one as there is never “enough” knowledge for both students and teachers. There is always room for improvement and hence the cycle of learning and teaching perpetuates repeatedly. In short, Arus is open to anyone interested in the betterment of students’ education (STEM-based especially). 

Last but not least, introducing the adventurous Nabihah, our Academy Teacher since July 2018. 

A year ago, I embarked a new journey with Arus. It was a leap of faith. I was a robotics training specialist and I love the way Arus focuses on life-long learning and uses recyclable materials to build prototypes in the Design Thinking process. I managed my expectations carefully to change my career and it was one of the best decisions in my personal and professional life. Upon joining Arus, I realised that we offered was more than just digital innovation skills, we provide safe space for the youth to practice soft skills including public speaking to articulate their passion and thought process. 

What do you like about Arus the most? 

I could relate to what and how Arus nurture youths and adults. We want students to be curious, creative and empathetic with the people around them. I love Arus’ enthusiasm to unleash the potential and provide access to all children in Malaysia regardless of social-economic status. 

What do you like about working with Arus? 

This year, we brought our Maker Academy and Girls in Engineering, Math and Science (GEMS) programme to nearby schools in Alma. I admire the working culture in Arus where we always have the opportunity to improvise lessons and programs according to the needs and to reach out to more beneficiaries. Don’t always stick to the way things should be because there are always new perspectives that we need to adopt. 

Tell me your story with Arus that highlights your growth. 

My highlight story with Arus was when I had to build relationships with new stakeholders to conduct GEMS in two schools in Alma. It was nerve-racking because I had to do it by myself in both the planning and execution stage. I prepared my slides and pitched the idea to the stakeholders. My anxiety kicks in when they ask for more documentation because I doubted myself to teach 4 classes in a week. I thought “Am I enough?” “Do I have all it takes to do this?”. As a woman, we often criticise ourselves and forget to highlight the small success stories. I have the sudden realisation to focus on my strengths and find a purpose of what kind of leader I want to be. I started to change the way I think about myself and build confidence. Just do it! It turned out very well with minimal hiccups. The program is running from February until September 2019.  

While leading GEMS, I had another sensational opportunity to be part of the Malaysian delegate for the US-ASEAN Women’s Leadership Academy 2019 for YSEALI in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was a great platform with changemakers all over ASEAN and Timor-Leste. It was amazing how similar our challenges are, although we are from diverse professional backgrounds. I met STEM champions and empowered women in this Academy. One of them is Emily, founder of Blessings in A Bag Asia and one of the 50 Gen.T honorees who spent 12 years of community building in Singapore. When I connected the dots, I believe my journey started when I accepted myself and said yes to opportunities that come my way and my learning curve escalated when I joined Arus.