My experience as a Keynote Speaker at GitHub Field Day Malaysia 2024 😊

Oct 12, 2024

In Aug 2024, I had the honor and privilege to be appointed as the Distinguished Speaker to deliver the Keynote Address for the inaugural GitHub Field Day Malaysia 2024 Conference.

GitHub Field Day Malaysia 2024 was a regional tech conference held on Oct 2024 and organized by GitHub Education in partnership with the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).

The aim of the conference was to bring together 100 leaders of technical student communities for a day of conversation in the form of lightning talks, discussions, games, or whatever suits the topic best.

This post summarizes my entire experience at GitHub Field Day Malaysia 2024 Conference and various memorable highlights of the conference itself.

Enjoy!

Day 0: Pre-Conference Activities

I took a night flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the conference was held.

Overall, the flight was smooth, and I managed to get some rest on the plane.

Even though the conference was scheduled to start early the next day, the organizing committee and I decided to have a pre-conference supper first to get to know each other better.

We had a great time discussing the conference agenda for tomorrow and getting to know each other better over a delicious meal at a very local restaurant (mamak stall) in Kuala Lumpur.

Maggi Goreng Supper with the organizing committee of GHFD Malaysia 2024

Milo Ais - A must-have drink in Malaysia, served in a bowl

Day 1: GitHub Field Day Malaysia 2024

With much excitement and anticipation for the conference, I did not sleep well the night before - only had about 3 to 4 hours of sleep.

Fortunately, the good breakfast at the hotel helped to boost my energy levels and get me ready for the day ahead. There was a wide selection of breakfast items at the buffet, including local Malaysian dishes like Nasi Lemak and Roti Canai.

Hotel guests at the Breakfast Buffet in Sunway Pyramid Hotel

Yummy breakfast :D

With my energy levels up, I headed to the conference venue, which was located at Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur.

15-minute walk from the hotel to the conference venue via a Canopy Treetop Walk

It was a 15-minute walk from the hotel to the conference venue, and the weather was perfect - not too hot and not too cold.

Beautiful view of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Arrival at the beautiful Sunway University Campus

Sunway University

After arriving at Sunway University, I checked in at the registration counter and received my conference badge and goodie bag.

As the Distinguished Speaker, my role was to deliver the Keynote Address regarding the topic of “Embracing Diversity & Inclusion in Tech” - a topic that I am very passionate about.

I shared my personal experiences and insights on my own journey in tech and how we can create a more inclusive and diverse tech community.

The audience was very receptive and engaged throughout the session.

Honored to be the first keynote speaker to deliver the Keynote Address at the inaugural GitHub Field Day Malaysia 2024

Keynote Address Topic: Embracing Diversity & Inclusion in Tech

After the Keynote Address, it was soon time for lunch. The conference organizers had prepared a delicious buffet spread for all the participants, with a spread of local Malaysian cuisine.

Delicious Nasi Goreng

Crunchy Fried Popiah

Chow Mein with Clams

Stirred Fried Vegetables & Sweet & Sour Fish

After lunch, I attended various lightning talks and round-table discussions to learn from other participants. The topics ranged from personal branding & development, hosting successful community events, hosting hackathons, startup initiatives, to web3 technologies.

Topic of Discussion: Hosting Successful Community Events

In conclusion, the participants agreed during the discussion that money was the main factor that determined the success of a community event. Without money, it would be difficult to organize a successful event that had good turnout and engagement.

Besides the technical sessions, there were also fun activities like ice-breaker games, networking sessions, and a lucky draw.

With fellow GitHub Campus Experts from Malaysia @irisyann (Lead Organizer for GHFD Malaysia 2024) and from Nepal @sabin-thapa (Facilitator of round-table discussion)

Do you know which meme we were trying to recreate? Hint: 🕷️👨

The conference ended with a closing ceremony where we took a group photo together to commemorate the event.

Group photo with all the participants of GitHub Field Day Malaysia 2024

Day 2: Post-Conference Activities

After the conference, I had the opportunity to take the local train and visit the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

Taking the local train to the Petronas Twin Towers

Amazing view of the Petronas Twin Towers

And before I knew it, it was time to head back to Singapore from KLIA2 Airport.

Looking back, it was a surreal and amazing experience for me to be able to share my journey on how I transitioned from a pharmacist to a software engineer to the amazing crowd at GHFD Malaysia 2024.

Once again, thank you GitHub Education for the sponsorship to attend GitHub Field Day Malaysia 2024! Hope to attend more GitHub Field Day events in the future!

Signing out,

Melvin Ng (GitHub Campus Expert, Singapore)

@melvincwng