Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS)

SHE was posted to a Nursing Diploma course at Nanyang Polytechnic.

There, she learnt how to help save lives. But it also taught her that "life is short, so if you have a dream, just go for it".

That is exactly what she did the day she graduated.

Miss Yvonne Cheng, 22, enrolled in the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) to pursue a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in International Tourism and Hospitality Management degree.

Realising that her lifelong passion was really in customer service, Miss Cheng said: "I thought that I won't have been able to reach my full potential in nursing as I believed that I'd be better in the hospitality line."

She said she had thoroughly enjoyed working as both a Hospitality Ambassador and a Party Organizer at a fast-food restaurant while waiting for her degree programme to start.

"I realised that making people smile is my passion," she said.

The second-year student is now doing an internship, a requirement of her course, at the Singapore Island Country Club (SICC).

After the internship ends, she has to complete her final year before being awarded her degree by The University of Sunderland, UK.

She said she enrolled in MDIS because of its history. Another "determining factor" was her mother's positive experience when the latter studied at MDIS for a Certificate in Management Studies in 1991.

BIGGEST DRAW

However, Miss Cheng said the greatest draw was Tropical Breeze, the hospitality training centre at the MDIS UniCampus.

The centre is equipped to teach students about the three main areas of service operation - front office, food and beverage and housekeeping.

Boasting an international front desk property management system, a bar counter as well as a mock-up hotel guest room, MDIS is one of the few private education institutes with such training facilities.

Because the industry is more reliant on practical skills rather than theoretical knowledge, MDIS ensures that students are provided with proper skills training.

Miss Cheng said she likes her course's emphasis on non exam-based modules.

She said: "You have to put in more effort to pass such assessments, compared to taking a written examination.

"MDIS' focus and facilities have allowed me to build up skills that are important in the tourism industry."

She is thankful that her experience at Tropical Breeze gave her a "head start" at her internship.

The skills she picked up during her "front desk training" in school came in handy when she had to help organise the upcoming SICC Ladies' Day golf tournament.

Miss Cheng said she also enjoyed the hands-on experiences of doing field work for her course, such as surveying local tourist sites, like Sentosa and the Tree Top Walk at MacRitchie Reservoir.

She noted that MDIS also encourages students to pursue "interests outside of academic life".

Miss Cheng volunteers with Silver Ribbon Singapore, an organisation that promotes a positive attitude towards mental health among the community.

An all-rounder, she is also taking a piano Grade 6 class. She is glad that her lecturers give her time off to take piano exams so long as she provides them with a photocopy of her examination schedule.

Her lecturers also readily provide extra help when she takes the initiative to approach them.

Miss Cheng said: "They are so supportive and essential to helping me complete the course."