Choosing a different success route
Published on: Thursday, August 25, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Inability to excel academically at school is no impediment to further educational pursuit.Take the cue from Yong Hui-Shurn, Malaysia's budding actress and a stage manager based in New York that where there is a will, there is a way.She hails from a family who was very involved in the education sector, so the plan for her was to learn Chinese, get into the science stream in Form 4, go to college and get a degree.
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"But the thing is, my academics were poor. I only barely made it through SPM because the sciences weren't my strongest suit. When I was doing my A-Levels in Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar, I decided to take Business and Economics because I thought that would lead me to a safe path after I graduated. "I fared a little better in Business and Economics. I somehow managed to sneak in Theatre Studies, which helped me get my one 'A'. My family knew my strength wasn't in academics, so one day as I was applying to universities, they told me that as long as I got a degree, I could do whatever I wanted after that," she said.The 28-year-old was sharing her story of the tortuous journey she took to be where she is today, with members of Sabah Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals Association (Swepa), Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu Pearl, and Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu (SPArKS) at Zara's Boutique Hotel, here, recently.When Yong got accepted into Sarah Lawrence College in New York, she thought, finally she would get to expand in the arts.
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She took mostly Psychology and Asian studies courses, and a little bit of theatre, thinking that maybe these courses could set a safer path for her than theatre. "Little did I know that using the analytical part of my brain would be another major challenge in my studies.
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The system I was educated in, doesn't properly teach us to analyse and think outside the box. So when I was given all these books to read and papers to write, I was lost. But somehow, like every step of my education, I pulled through. I got my Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts (Concentration-Theatre) in New York in 2012," she recalled.Yong got a calling to pursue acting during her final semester at Sarah Lawrence."A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to be in his play. I thought, why not? I haven't acted in a while. Why not do something fun? This play, well, let's just say, was not an award-winning masterpiece. "But, it was enough to ignite something in me that I had long forgotten. I loved acting. I wanted to be an actress. And this feeling was so strong that it stayed with me for the entire week after our first show. It just wouldn't go away until I told myself. OK, I'm doing this," she said.Having set her mind on her career, Yong broke up with her long-term boyfriend, "who, up till then, I was sure I was going to marry". She then applied for her Optional Practical Training (OPT) status – a work permit for fresh international graduates to work in the US for a year. "The minute I made this decision, it was as if a massive weight was lifted off my body. I felt free for the first time in a long, long time."Working as a stage manager for big to bigger and more reputable theatre companies in New York paved the way for bigger things to come. Although stage managing is not her cup of tea, the connections she made were invaluable."It was through these connections that I found out about acting conservatories in the city. I enrolled myself in the Atlantic Theater Company's Acting Conservatory Program, started by David Mamet and Bill Macy. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It was the start of my acting career," confessed Yong.Despite making headway, she has one biggest regret, and that was doing her A-levels and going to Sarah Lawrence. "If I knew better, I would have gone to an acting conservatory, instead of Sarah Lawrence and pursued a degree in either Yale or Juilliard later on. Imagine all the money and time I would have saved. But, there're always two sides to a coin. If I didn't spend those years doing what I didn't love, my will to fight for my passion wouldn't be this strong. I wouldn't have been so sure of my direction in life," she shared.Yong has always wanted to be an actress since she was eight. It started when her aunt enrolled her and her cousins in speech and drama classes in Kuala Lumpur."That's where I fell in love with performing. But then at that age, I still had school and years of education to complete, so the performing arts was just an extra-curricular activity.""My dream is to be a successful actress. And by success, I mean to be cast in well-written plays or movies. It doesn't matter if I don't end up on Broadway or in Hollywood, although it'll be nice," she said while giving credit to her family for playing a huge part in her motivation.According to her, although her family had concerns about the path she was about to take then, they never once said 'NO'. "As clichéd as this sounds, I've always been assured that my family has been and will always be there for me," she added.Whenever she tells people that she is an actress, the usual response is: "ohhhhhhhhhhh", followed by, "Are you on Broadway? Are you in Hollywood? When are you going to win an Oscar?" Her honest answer is "I'm not there yet."Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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