KUCHING: Three Swinburne students were among five from Sarawak to make it into the top five positions of the Maybank GO Ahead Challenge (MGAC) 2019 Campus Level competition held at Unimas, recently.
Established in 2012, MGAC is an international and multi-dimensional case competition that tests students’ competencies including strategy, behaviour and general knowledge in challenges that simulate the realities of a dynamic business world.
Last year, a total of 29 Campus Levels selections were held in countries where Maybank has its presence namely Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.
At the Sarawak Campus Level challenge, a total of 52 participants from Swinburne Sarawak, Unimas and Curtin University Malaysia took part in the event to qualify for the National-level to be held at the Maybank Headquarters, Kuala Lumpur this July.
Representing Swinburne were biotechnology students Clarence Tay Yuen Hua and Arooj Fatima Tul Zahra, as well as computer science student Mubashir Ayub.
Mubashir successfully defeated his competitors to bring home the title of Sarawak Campus Level champion. Throughout the competition, the participants had to complete six different challenges over 14 gruelling hours with minimal break in between.
Commenting on the competition, Mubashir expressed that although MGAC was one of the most challenging things he had ever done in his life, the journey taught him the value of critical thinking, decision-making and adaptability under pressure.
“Taking part in MGAC showed me how much of a little fish I am in the huge ocean that is this world. It has introduced me to some of the brightest people, and although it tested my mind and body like never before, I become a better person as a result of competing in this event,” Mubashir said.
Qualifiers from the national-level will go on to represent Malaysia in the Global Finals and be in the running to secure a place in Maybank’s award-winning apex programme for graduates, the Global Maybank Apprentice Programme.
In last year’s challenge, Swinburne’s student Kyaw Hlaing Bwar beat over 1,500 contestants from Malaysian universities to be among 14 to represent the country in the Global Finals.
MGAC is promoted by Swinburne’s Career Development Unit under its Student Engagement Department.
The university provides various platforms for students to connect with businesses, industries and the community, allowing students to develop their employability skills and preparing them to be future-ready learners responsive to the global job market.
