Leadership is not something that switches on the moment a person steps into the working world. It develops far earlier. Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar International School (KTJ) has long understood this and has encouraged students to be as driven outside the classroom as they are within it.
Sixth Form is where that drive truly comes to life. Three recent events – organised entirely by KTJ students – made that clear. From national television appearances to panels featuring some of Malaysia’s most respected professionals, these Sixth Formers created their own opportunities.
Umar Khaleed (left) joined Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar International School on a scholarship, drawn by its reputation and effective approach to experiential learning. Nadia Munir (right) served as AYSEF Vice President and hopes to study chemical biology at UC Berkeley. Source: Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar International School
Expanding a vision: The ASEAN Youth Science & Economic Forum 2025
When Umar Khaleed, Head Prefect, and Nadia Munir, Head of Boarding, inherited the ASEAN Youth Science Forum from their seniors, they both agreed to make it bigger. First, they started by rebranding it as the ASEAN Youth Science & Economic Forum (AYSEF). “It reflected a genuine expansion of mission – to reach a wider audience and reflect the reality that the most pressing challenges young people face today sit at the intersection of science, economics, technology, and policy,” Umar says.
The ambition did not go unnoticed. The event drew engagement from major organisations, including Employees Provident Fund (Malaysia), Khazanah, Malakoff, and PETRONAS, and earned both students an appearance on Astro AWANI, a local TV channel, to speak about AYSEF’s growth.
Both Umar and Nadia successfully made the AYSEF event a memorable experience. Source: Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar International School
Running a forum of this scale required both students to understand their roles and prepare thoroughly. To manage these relationships and keep the event on track, Nadia took charge of stakeholder and partner relationships while Umar steered strategy and direction. “Knowing which fires to fight yourself and which to hand to someone you trust is, I think, the real test of leadership,” Umar says.
Umar hopes to continue his studies at University College London this autumn to read Economics, taking with him an experience and foundation that goes well beyond his A Level results. Nadia, meanwhile, is studying Chemical Biology at UC Berkeley.
Iman Izmir is planning to read law at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Source: Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar International School
Justice in the making: The KTJ Law Symposium 2026
Head Prefect Iman Izmir and her team did not settle for a conventional speaker series. The KTJ Law Symposium 2026 opened with a panel discussion – Framing Justice: Questions That Shape the Law – featuring distinguished lawyers from respected Malaysian firms, including representatives from Azman Davidson & Co.
What followed was a cross-examination workshop and a corporate law session, both facilitated by practising lawyers. These gave participants an insider’s understanding of the profession. An LNAT Masterclass then introduced the foundations of the UK law admissions test through debate and argumentation – the same critical thinking skills students will need long after the day was over.
Rather than observing law from the outside, students left having practised it – sharper, more curious, and better prepared for what lies ahead.
Aneesha Kaur Dhinsha reached out to top C-suite executives to attend her event. Source: Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar International School
A gap filled: The KTJ Economics & Finance Symposium 2026
Aneesha Kaur Dhinsha noticed that while KTJ students interested in law had a dedicated platform, those drawn to economics and finance had none. So, she created one.
“I wanted to create a platform that not only expanded students’ subject knowledge but provided a rare opportunity to network with industry professionals,” she says.
Making that vision a reality meant reaching far beyond the school walls. The KTJ Economics & Finance Symposium and Workshop 2026 brought together Bryan Chung Yew Pong, Director of True Vine Capital Partners; Munirah Khairuddin, Chief Executive Officer of Principal Asset Management Berhad; and Glen Cha, Chief Technology Officer of AEON360.
Securing names of that calibre – through cold emails, personal connections, and the KTJ alumni network – wasn’t easy. Many emails went unanswered, but Dhinsha kept going. “If you do not try, you will never know,” she says.
Aneesha (far right) as a panel moderator during the KTJ Economics & Finance Symposium and Workshop 2026. Source: Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar International School
Persistence alone, however, was not enough – the event also tested her ability to adapt. When a workshop facilitator withdrew at the last minute, she restructured the programme on the spot, ensuring every participant still received the experience they had signed up for. It was the kind of pressure that sharpened her soft skills in ways a regular day in class alone never could.
“Connecting and conversing with professionals was a fear that I had growing up,” Aneesha says. “Practice is the only way to quiet these thoughts.”
She plans to study Economics and Politics in the UK, leaving KTJ confident in her ability to hold her own in any room.
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