Eleanor Lim Hooi Ling, completed her BA (Honours) Design Communication at Sunway University in 2019. Life as a Sunway student taught her to be independent and resourceful as well as how to make the impossible possible. Whilst she had many wonderful memories of campus life, the challenges she faced as she worked on various student projects helped her hone her skills in her craft. Eleanor acknowledged that the supportive lecturers who constantly motivated her to learn and try new things, had made her learning experience unforgettable.

Eleanor fondly recalls her 2018 Bangkok study trip that she went on. “It was my first time travelling outside of Malaysia, so it was very inspiring [getting to wander] around the city, visit art markets and galleries”. It was a trip where she came home with a “head full of ideas”. These ideas sparked many interesting conversations with her lecturers. She added that throughout her studies, the weekly consultations with lecturers, Bibi Zafirah and Maslisa Zainuddin were very interesting and insightful. “Sitting at a cafe right outside the university and discussing ideas even beyond class hours motivated me to push myself further”. Eleanor is grateful for the dedication of her lecturers, demonstrated through careful planning of the teaching and learning activities which challenges students to push their own limits of creativity.

Currently a freelancer, Eleanor often involves herself in design projects with various clients. "Three days a week, I work at Mossery.co” she adds, a homegrown, start-up company dedicated to designing inspirational stationery and tools that help organise thoughts and projects. Eleanor is not particularly new to Mossery.co; she had worked for them previously during her internship - another important aspect of the curriculum - which allow students the opportunity to develop soft skills and gain real world exposure before they graduate. Students receive employers’ feedback in the form of an appraisal, which they can then reflect upon for future development. All these have been made possible, thanks to the close partnership that Sunway has built over the years with employers.

Eleanor's decision to freelance wasn't an easy one. She admitted that “it was difficult and scary, but I chose to pursue it as I think design is not limited to doing graphic design for a single company, and freelancing allows me to learn a lot from different clients and their field of expertise”. Eleanor expressed her thanks to the community at the School of Arts (SOA) as “a lot of what I do today would not have been possible without the skills I have learnt during my time in SOA”. Through the willingness to learn and being resourceful, she has gained many technical skills from her tutorial lessons, and most importantly, “I learnt the value of pushing myself to go the extra mile and learn something new every day”.

Eleanor looks forward to working more closely with her clients and to one day, set up her own design studio. "For now, I'm working hard to learn as much as I can, while adapting to how the pandemic is changing our lifestyles".

This article was adapted from the School of Arts Press (SOAP), July 2020