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Tan Yoong Chang
Member of the Month: may
Tan Yoong Chang
Tan Yoong Chang, known as Tan, is a final year student from the School of Law, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and a former president of the Asian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) UUM. Growing up in the small town of Selama, Perak, Tan is the youngest child among three siblings in his family. Tan is well-known for his academic excellence and active participation in extracurricular activities throughout his time in law school.
Proudly to say, UUM’s Bachelor of Law was his first choice in his UPU application. Passing his exam with flying colours in the matriculation programme, Tan made up his mind to pursue his study in the field of law. Of Tan’s many reasons for choosing law, one was because he believes that the path opens up more lucrative opportunities to be explored in the future. Not only that, studying law to him is mentally stimulating, financially rewarding and emotionally fulfilling.
Every person has his or her preferred way of studying; the same goes for Tan. Tan loves to print on paper instead of reading from a screen. His ability to identify and stick to his learning style helps him become more aware of how he can learn better. For that reason, Tan managed to maintain his CGPA at 3.97 pointers up until semester seven and achieved the dean list award for seven consecutive semesters. If he could give his juniors one piece of advice, it would be “knowledge is what decides your long term success” as he believes that having a good command of the subject you study is probably more critical than getting a high CGPA during the examination.
Tan receiving his Dean List award in 2019
the starting point of alsa's journey
Tan with his Academic Activities Coordinator Bureau officers
Other than academic excellence, Tan does not overlook the significance of extracurricular activities in his academic life. Tan always describes himself as “a full-time thinker and a part-time student” because he tends to think and question a lot. Owing to such a combination of characteristics, he was able to relay his ideas compellingly and lead ALSA UUM in a good direction during his tenure.
Tan’s journey in ALSA UUM actively began when he was offered the position of the Head of Academic Activities Coordinator Bureau during his second year in law school. One of his key takeaways from being the bureau’s head is that he learned about project management while acting as an intermediary between the High Committees and his officers in conveying messages accurately and efficiently.
Tan who was the President of ALSA UUM 2019/2020 together with his board members
By the ways he demonstrated his leadership, Tan was promoted as the President of ALSA UUM for the tenure of 2019/2020. One of the most significant accomplishments achieved during his tenure was refurbishing the ALSA UUM social media platforms. ALSA UUM’s official website launched in 2020, was an initiative conducted in his tenure. When asked about the best part of his time during his tenure, Tan expressed that he was glad to have the opportunity to make new friends and work along with an enthusiastic group of people who shared a common goal with him. Unlike most students, Tan believes that joining an organisation or association should not primarily be for enhancing one’s resume. Instead, one must have the intention to contribute and stay devoted to the association.
Despite the heavy workloads, Tan had done a great job to find a balance between his responsibility as a President and as a student as he could still manage to excel in his academics. To him, a person will never be too busy to do something as it all comes down to the ability to compromise and adjust.
“There are no shortcuts to real success.”
And not to forget Tan’s well-rounded mooting journey! In the Lincoln’s Inn Alumni Moot Court Competition 2019, which was organized for the first time by KL Bar Committee, he with his team emerged as second-runner up, and they also won the best team written submission. Undoubtedly, the team chemistry built among his team members is the key that contributed to such remarkable achievement. Reminiscing about his mooting days back then, he admitted that it was a stressful process one has to cope with. Nevertheless, he always trusts and enjoys the process as he once said, “there are no shortcuts to real success.” The same applies when it comes to mooting. There will always be three endless things to be done in order to get a high achievement – endless research, endless training and endless amendments.
Tan posing with the best team written submission award for Lincoln’s Inn Alumni Moot Court Competition 2019
Recently, he had also joined an organisation called Warisan Think. Warisan Think is a student-led organisation that was established in the year 2020. The motive of its establishment is to be a youth-driven catalyst for the Malaysian Economy. Besides, the organisation also aims to drive grassroots development by providing an end-to-end platform for Malaysian entrepreneurs and SME owners. Starting from the beginning of this year until June, Tan works as a part of the organisation as a legal associate.
Tan with his management team in Warisan Think
His job scope primarily involves legal documentation. Tan finds himself working a lot on legal document preparation such as non-disclosure agreements, sponsorship agreements, and he even handles events like legal webinars. With a strong foundation in law, Tan worries less about executing his task within the organisation. Recounting his experience, he said that “I learn about tolerance and adaptations when working in Warisan Think because it is a global organisation that involves students from all over the world”. From his perspective, the working culture of Warisan Think set it apart from other organizations he has previously worked with. While working, Tan is assisted by three immediate supervisors from the United Kingdom. He realised that their approaches to dealing with issues were different from what he had been used to, which piqued his interest in learning more.
When asked if he has any last advice for the readers out there, Tan reiterated his favourite quote by D.H. Lawrence: “I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.” We need to embrace our misfortune and go on with our life no matter if there is any gain or loss that we have been through. Try to help yourself rather than relying on others, help yourself instead of waiting for others to help you!