KUALA LUMPUR, 8th June – The Read to Lead Program and UTMKL Book Club Launch was an incredible success, graced by the presence of Yang Amat Mulia Tengku Datin Paduka Setia Zatashah binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj S.S.I.S.
The birth of the Read to Lead program in August 2019 has since witnessed a tremendous participation from international students all over the world! Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) as the host to over 5300 international students from 83 countries, continuously embark upon impactful activities aligned with prospering the global prominence of university.
Reaching the fourth year since its first inception, the Read to Lead 2023 manifested the presence of a royal reader, Yang Amat Mulia Tengku Zatashah, sharing her favorite reads and reading tips through collaborative work with UTM Kuala Lumpur Library. Yang Amat Mulia Tengku delivered an awe-inspiring sharing, igniting our passion for women’s empowerment with her insights, as well as her recommended reading list to inspire the audience. She also generously donated three precious books as gifts to the UTM Kuala Lumpur library, fostering the love for literature in our community.
Commemorating the Read to Lead was the launch of UTM Kuala Lumpur (UTMKL) Book Club. UTM Library has organized various reading-oriented programs exclusively for the Book Sharing@UTMKL, Bicara Karya, and K-Sharing (knowledge sharing) in the quest to empower reading culture as a tool for promoting educational development in university. UTM Kuala Lumpur library as a place where books and sources of information are stored, has elevated the various reading and bookish events into a welcoming space for book enthusiasts to come together, fostering a relaxed environment where they can gather, share, and engage in thoughtful discussions about the books they have read or plan to read.
Engaging an audience of distinguished ambassadors and diplomats, as well as delegation of UTM senior officials, international and Malaysian students, avid readers, book lovers and Yang Amat Mulia followers on Instagram, the Read to Lead and UTMKL Book Club Launch brought together over 100 participants with various nationalities. The event was incredibly praised by the students and all participants attending due to the interactive session with our Royal Speaker. Participating students from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) remarked the events as exceptionally delightful as they had learned amazing tips and tricks for reading from Yang Amat Mulia Tengku who read over 100 books each year. According to Siam Rahman, an international student at UTM Kuala Lumpur, the Read to Lead program and newly minted UTMKL Book Club fulfilled the absence of a community of book lovers in UTM. Another student, Loai Al Sabahi thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share his passion for books with Yang Amat Mulia Tengku.
UTM International began as a humble bookish platform featuring international student who volunteered to share insights and reviews of their chosen favorite books. A little corner at UTM International Kuala Lumpur office was dedicated to the gathering of bookers every month, with cakes and coffee for afterwards, until the global world was prescribed with the incurable pandemic. Alas, with the aid of technology, the opportunity to keep the reading network and connection alive and on toast, albeit the online platform may never replace the joy of having that physical touches and face-to-face chats over coffees and cakes to conclude the exciting global read session each month.
The event was also attended by Vice-Chancellor UTM, Professor Datuk Ir. Ts. Dr Ahmad Fauzi Ismail; Director of UTM International, Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Ariffin Abu Hassan, and UTM Chief Librarian, Puan Nor Asikin Mohamad.
UTM expresses its heartiest gratitude to Yang Amat Mulia Tengku Zatashah for a wonderful afternoon spent together marveling over her exceptional book sharing and reviews. Yang Amat MuliaTengku was also a speaker for TEDxUTM talk on #zerofoodwastage back in 2018.
Prepared by:
Norhayati Abdullah, PhD
Su Zalpha Mohamed