Reflections from The Unfiltered Journey at KIGS

Returning With Answers

Some opportunities don't begin with a formal invitation; They begin with a conversation.

For Haziyah Azalmey, it happened while the AICREATIVV team was visiting Kolej International Graduate Studies for the 20th instalment of the VIBE Exhibition. Between catching up with familiar faces and revisiting a place that had once been part of her daily routine, she found herself talking with her former lecturer, Miss Bazilah Asli. One conversation led to another. Soon after, Haziyah introduced her to Imamull Qhaeer. Before long, an idea had begun to take shape.

What if two KIGS alumni returned, not to attend another lecture, but to share what life had looked like after leaving those classrooms?

Coming Home, Differently

A few weeks later, Haziyah Azalmey and Stephanie Yong walked back into the same theatre hall where they had once presented assignments, attended talks, and quietly wondered what the working world would actually be like. This time, however, the seats were facing them.

For both of them, returning wasn't simply nostalgic. It quietly revealed how much had changed.

Stephanie remembers looking around the room and recognising familiar lecturers, familiar corridors, and familiar faces. It reminded her how quickly the years had passed. Not long ago, she had been sitting exactly where the students were now, listening to alumni speak about careers that still felt distant. Standing on the other side of that conversation made her realise that professional growth doesn't usually arrive in one defining moment. Instead, it happens gradually—through projects, difficult conversations, mistakes, feedback, and experiences that only become obvious when you finally stop and look back.

Haziyah experienced the morning rather differently. Although she appeared calm throughout the session, she admits that was mostly an illusion she had created for herself. Before stepping onto the stage, she kept repeating the same thought in her head: fake it till you make it. If she could look composed, perhaps she would eventually feel composed too. It wasn't the audience that made her nervous, it was herself.

She found herself worrying whether her answers would sound thoughtful enough, whether she would explain herself clearly, even joking afterwards that she had been concerned whether her responses "had enough good PR." Looking back, she laughs at how unnecessary those worries were. The students weren't expecting polished speeches. They simply wanted honest conversations from people who had once been in exactly the same position.

Even standing in that theatre hall felt strangely familiar. The last time she stood at the front of the room was almost three years earlier during her viva voce. Back then, she remembers freezing as a student. This time, she joked, she was freezing for an entirely different reason.

The Questions We Once Asked

As the discussion began, it quickly became clear that the questions students were asking weren't really about design. Yes, there were questions about deadlines, clients, and creative work. But beneath those questions sat something much more universal.

How do you become confident?

How do you deal with criticism?

How do you know when you're finally ready?

Those questions caused both speakers to reflect on parts of their own journeys they hadn't thought about in quite some time.

One question that stayed with Haziyah asked which soft skill she wished she had practised more while she was still studying. Surprisingly, she found it difficult to answer—not because she didn't value soft skills, but because she had never consciously thought about them before. Communication, presenting ideas, speaking with confidence and leading conversations hadn't been skills she deliberately set out to learn. They had developed naturally through opportunities she kept saying yes to: joining the student council, emceeing events, managing the 15th VIBE Exhibition, and gradually becoming more comfortable being seen.

Looking back, she realised those experiences had shaped her far more than she appreciated at the time.

Stephanie found herself reflecting on an entirely different question.

If she could go back and speak to her younger self, what would she say?

At first, she expected her answer to revolve around design, grades, or technical skills. Instead, she found herself thinking about something much simpler. During college, she had been so focused on completing assignments and meeting deadlines that she sometimes forgot to enjoy the experience itself. She wished she had spent a little more time making memories, building friendships, and appreciating the journey rather than constantly rushing towards the next submission.

Growth can be measured in multiple ways, often times it may only be measured by portfolios or grades; but experiences play a huge part in personal growth too.

Beyond the Portfolio

One of the most interesting parts of the session was how quickly the conversation drifted away from software, technical ability, or creative techniques. Instead, it kept returning to people.

The more questions students asked, the clearer it became that entering the creative industry isn't simply about knowing how to design, edit, write, or animate. Those skills may help someone secure an opportunity, but they aren't what sustain a career.

Reflecting on her own journey, Haziyah believes KIGS gave her strong foundations, both technically and personally. The experience of organising events, speaking publicly, and working alongside classmates helped develop skills she now relies on every day. At the same time, professional life introduced entirely new lessons that couldn't really be simulated in a classroom. For example, receiving feedback from lecturers who understand creative processes feels very different from receiving feedback from clients who naturally see projects through the lens of business rather than design. Learning to navigate those conversations became part of becoming a professional.

Stephanie echoed a similar thought. Technical ability allows someone to produce good work, but communication and mindset are what allow someone to build a career. She realised that design has never really been about making something visually pleasing. It's about understanding people, listening well, explaining ideas clearly, accepting feedback without taking it personally, and solving problems alongside others.

Even the conversation about leadership eventually challenged Haziyah's own perception of her role.

When students asked what it meant to be a "Marketing Lead", she admitted she had never really attached much importance to the title itself. If anything, she laughed, it simply felt like "a fancy word attached to my job scope."

What mattered more to her was continuing to learn, support the people around her, and contribute meaningfully to the team. Titles, she realised, rarely carry as much weight as the people behind them.

When the Conversation Grew

Somewhere during the session, something quietly shifted. The panel stopped feeling like a panel.

As students continued asking questions, the conversation naturally expanded beyond the experiences of two alumni. Questions about postgraduate studies, professional life, teamwork, and the realities of working in the industry began surfacing—questions that other members of AICREATIVV were equally well positioned to answer.

Rather than relaying those perspectives himself, Imamull Qhaeer saw an opportunity to do something different. He invited the rest of the team into the conversation.

Looking back, he says that was always the intention. The discussion no longer needed to belong to two speakers on stage. It had become a conversation between AICREATIVV and the students sitting in front of them.

Watching Haziyah and Stephanie respond throughout the morning, he noticed something that made him particularly proud.

It wasn't simply that they answered questions well.

It was how they answered them.

They weren't afraid to admit when something sat outside their expertise. They spoke openly about mistakes, insecurities, and moments of uncertainty. Their responses didn't feel rehearsed or overly polished. They felt honest. More than anything, they were sharing rather than presenting.

"The only difference," he reflected afterwards, "was the seating arrangement."

That openness naturally encouraged others to contribute as well.

Amal Osmera found herself remembering the beginning of her own career, recognising many of the same questions she had once asked herself. Ampuan Hafiz reminded students that technical skills alone rarely set professionals apart. Communication, problem-solving, and the ability to stay calm under pressure often become just as valuable once real work begins.

Danial Basyri "DB" offered another perspective entirely, sharing how pursuing a Master's by Research had allowed him to explore his own interests more deeply while balancing professional work at AICREATIVV. For him, postgraduate study was never about delaying employment. It became an opportunity to challenge himself, develop independently, and continue learning in ways that complemented his work.

For recent alumni like Alfath Sellahuddin and Majidah Khirul Abasah, the conversation felt even closer to home. Listening to students ask whether they were ready for the industry reminded them how recently they had been asking those same questions themselves. Alfath reflected that many of the opportunities he avoided as a student came from a fear of failing or embarrassing himself. Looking back, he realised those failures ultimately became his greatest teachers. Majidah shared a similar reflection, hoping students wouldn't wait until they felt "good enough" before putting themselves out there. Confidence, she believes, doesn't arrive before action. It grows because of it.

Passing It Forward

When we asked everyone afterwards what they hoped today's students wouldn't have to learn the hard way, their answers sounded remarkably different, yet somehow arrived at the same place.

Haziyah hopes students continue mastering the fundamentals, even as artificial intelligence becomes more common in everyday work. While Stephanie hopes young creatives learn that feedback is never a personal attack and that asking questions will always accelerate growth. Alfath wishes students would spend less time chasing perfect grades and more time building confidence, communication, and relationships. Majidah hopes they stop waiting until they feel ready before sharing their work with the world.

Taken together, none of their advice was really about becoming better designers.

It was about becoming better learners. Perhaps that's what The Unfiltered Journey ultimately became.

It wasn't a panel about success stories or career milestones. It became a room full of people who once sat in those same classrooms, returning not because they had all the answers, but because they had learned enough to help someone else avoid learning everything the hard way.

And maybe that's the most meaningful way to come back—not to tell students where they should go, but to remind them that everyone sitting on that stage once wondered exactly the same things they do today.