Lyna Mohammad
Several graduates from Kolej International Graduate Studies (KIGS) recently received their certificates at the KIGS 2021 Convocation Ceremony themed ‘Digital Technology Transformation Enrichment’.
Several graduates spoke with the Bulletin, sharing their thoughts on graduating and digital transformation.
For Dayangku Nur Hazirah binti Pengiran Sahar, a graduate of Diploma in Graphic Design Technology, digital transformation involves both physical and philosophical change, designed to meet the ever growing demands of students and the faculty as well as continuously changing students’ work tasks giving substantial impact on daily lives.
Currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Professional Design Visual Communication at KIGS, while also working part-time to gain experience in her related field, Dayangku Nur Hazirah pointed out that graphic designers are in high demand in today’s world of modern technology.
This, she added, is because businesses require more visual communication when it comes to social media and advertising to make brands stand out even more.
“Taking this programme at KIGS allowed me to develop a wide range of skills, not only in design but also in photography, marketing and advertising. We also have workshops by local artists and designers, an exhibition at the end of our final year to showcase our work, and on some occasions, KIGS students participate in designing competitions to gain experience as part of our assignments,” she said.
Asked on her preference of being employed in the public or private sector, she said it doesn’t really matter to work in any sector because graphic design is a wide-open field. In addition, one of the most significant advantages of becoming graphic designers is the ability to be self-employed as a freelancer and generate a source of income anywhere as long as they stay creative and enjoy making art.
Fellow graduate Mohammad Izzat Hadi bin Haji Mahadis said that the transformation of digital technology is both for the future and current times, as most rely on digital technology such as mobile phones and computers for their speed in sending and accessing information.
He said, “For example in the current COVID-19 situation, information from the Ministry of Health can be searched and accessed through their social media platform, which is much efficient compared to physically going to their premise.”
Graduating in Advertising Multimedia and Broadcasting, Izzat said that while it was a bumpy ride throughout his studies, he gained and learnt a lot and experienced many challenges throughout his college years which turned him into a more determined and disciplined individual.
He highlighted that choosing the programme was the right decision for him as he has benefitted a lot from it, being a person who enjoys flexibility in any situation.
He added that as a multimedia student involved in videography, photography, illustration and motion graphics, the skills will be beneficial for his future.
If an opportunity arises for him to pursue further studies, Mohammad Izzat said he will grab it as he wishes to expand his knowledge, discover himself more and reach his full potential. He shared that he would indulge more into multimedia covering illustration, 3D, motion graphics, visual effect, videography and photography.
Meanwhile, Hajah Amirah Fatin Syafiqah binti Haji Zilani, who graduated with First Class in Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) and received three awards to her name, said the implementation and utilisation of digital technologies has transformed the learning styles of students in KIGS and has provided them with quick access to information, e-learning content, and a user-friendly interface for student affairs applications.
Expressing gratitude on her excellence in studies, Hajah Amirah said her passion and mindset have been centred on graduating with honours and making her parents proud, which has been her source of motivation.
She was awarded with a scholarship by Limkokwing University of Creative Technology to pursue any master’s degree programme related to her bachelor’s degree.
“I am incredibly honoured, grateful and blessed to have received these unexpected accolades. I thank Limkokwing University for the scholarship and KIGS for being my platform and providing me with a diverse range of academic and non-academic experiences,” she said.
Muhammad Faiq bin Mohammad Yaakub, a graduate of Diploma in Advertising, Multimedia and Broadcasting shared that he has positive thoughts towards digital transformation especially in the modern era and in the current pandemic times, adding that digital technology has proven to be very efficient and convenient.
He added that the impact brought about to how people live is also advantageous, especially keeping data or media items in a more convenient storage including saving photos, videos or music in MP3-files without the need of having CDs, books, newspapers or magazines.
Muhammad Faiq mentioned that he has had his fair share of digital transformation while studying in KIGS and that he was getting quite adaptive to it.
Since he started studying at KIGS from certificate to diploma and to currently doing his bachelor’s degree, Muhammad Faiq shared that every subject has proved to be increasingly difficult as the ladder goes up and gave him a great challenge to prove his skills in both theory and practical assignments.
Fortunately, with support from the lecturers who guided him and the support from fellow students, the challenge became lighter and he managed to overcome it.
“Choosing the multimedia programme has been greatly beneficial to me because it matches my skills and passion in the world of media. In this programme, we get to learn how radio, films and the journalistic world works in real life and as a fan of the media, you enjoy the assignments given to you,” he said.
Muhammad Faiq is currently taking a programme in digital media, which is an indirect continuation from his diploma under the Multimedia and Broadcasting Faculty.
Fellow graduate Asyhira Nur Nazeefa binti Haji Mohammad Ashraf from the same programme is also currently following her Bachelor of Communication (Hons) in Digital Media at KIGS.
“Basically, digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new or modify existing businesses. By using digital technologies we can help small businesses promote their products such as making a website so that people can easily access by clicking on the website,” she said, adding that her interests in digital media has helped push her to know more about multimedia.
During her diploma studies, she learnt basic skills on editing and illustration. Asyhira Nur Nazeefa also finished in the top 10 in the logo designing competition for Brunei-China diplomatic relations 30th anniversary, which was part of their class assignment.
For her future, Asyhira Nur Nazeefa looks forward to pursuing a career in media illustrations and editing.
