14 March 2016

AUSMAT Rising Star

Shireen Chin Mei Yee is no ordinary student. Juggling between her study and exams, the 18 year old student of Sunway College’s Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT) programme, is a performer of the guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument. The former student of Kuen Cheng High School was inspired by her mother to take up the guzheng. She started playing the instrument five years ago, and has since fallen in love with it.

“Many people do not know of the guzheng, which makes me love it more, as I can play however I want to. I'm normally an expressive person and the special characteristic of the guzheng gives me many opportunities to express my feelings.” Shireen is a member of the Yi Xiang Ler Chinese Orchestra, which creates various opportunities for her to perform. She enjoys performing for it is when she can share her music with others, “the best part of performing is being able to see my audiences’ reaction.”

Shireen performing during an AUSMAT event

Being proficient with musical instruments does not come easily as a lot of practice is required. For Shireen, she spends an hour or two a day practising when there are no exams. She normally concentrates on her studies and only practices on the guzheng when she is at home.

According to Shireen, she normally performs at dinners, at the shopping mall during Chinese New Year and charity events such as the Child Aid Asia 2015 in the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac). She recently performed in the AUSMAT Talent Time and Sunway Education Group Teachers Appreciation Day, achieving her dream of performing on stage in front of her lecturers and friends.

A recipient of the Jeffrey Cheah Entrance Scholarship, Shireen enrolled into the AUSMAT programme last year. When asked how she decided Sunway College was the right one for her, she said accessible transportation and excellent facilities were main factors. She finds most interesting her lecturers, “They are passionate and humorous at the same time. I like how we get to meet different people in every class.”

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