“The values that I grew up with hold great importance to me. They are very important to me because they seem to be the basic ‘laws’ of being a good person, and I always aspire to be one.”
Meet Dominique M. (’27), a Grade 9 student originally from the UK who has been at ISKL since Prep Senior. She recently participated in the HS Musical Shrek, playing the Mad Hatter and Duloc Greeter roles, and plays touch rugby and track and field in her spare time.
Here is Dominique’s story:
Do tell us more about yourself.
Hi, my name is Dominique, but everyone calls me Dom. I am 14 years old and am in Grade 9. This is my 10th year at ISKL and my 13th (going on 14th) in Malaysia. I am originally from the UK and have two older sisters who graduated from ISKL – one received a Lifer award.
Which grade did you join ISKL?
I joined ISKL as a Prep Senior in 2014 – I was 4.
Do you participate in any co-curricular activities at ISKL? Please describe them.
Yes, recently, I was a part of Shrek the Musical, and it’s been my favorite time in High School (HS) so far. I am planning on also doing sports this year, but as of now, I still need to do my activities.
Can you tell us more about your other hobbies and interests?
I like the arts, theatre, music, dance, etc – theatre or visual arts are my favorites. I am not the best at them (like dance), but I enjoy them.
I also play sports. Last year, I did touch rugby and track and field, and I hope to make the team this year – we will see how everything turns out.
Do you have any thoughts on your career pathway?
I have a few ideas, but both my parents were in hospitality. I have lived in hotels and always liked how it ran with my dad as the GM. I like being a host and am good at it if I say so myself.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
I plan to enjoy my time in HS and ISKL as a whole, get into the university of my choice, and, from then on, get a job that I like and can pay my bills. There’s a saying that “if your job is doing something you love, you don’t work a day in your life,” and that’s the overall goal.
Who or what inspires you or has influenced you?
I get inspired by nature and the things around me. I usually focus on those things and put that into my art.
Someone who has influenced me the most in my life is my sister. She is six years older than me, but we shared a room for a long time, and since both my parents were working and my eldest sister was always busy, I spent a lot of time with her. And now I get all the time that I sound like her when I laugh or act like her – she’s a great role model, so I take that with pride.
Most memorable moment at ISKL?
My most memorable moments were this year’s Shrek musical and Malaysia Week trip last year.
On the closing night of Shrek, everyone was crying, and I was bawling because the show meant so much to me, and to get a hug from everyone was great, warming, and very sad.
For Malaysia Week, my group had all gone to look at some gorgeous coral and look for turtles; we didn’t find any, but we still looked at the coral. It was so beautiful with the sun setting, and the sky was pink and orange, and the clear blue water with colorful coral beneath it. My friends and I lay linked together on our stomachs (which we jokingly called the human centipede.), and we all lay there looking up at the sky and singing the song from Titanic. It was an amazing moment, and most of our group joined in, which was beautiful and funny.
What does “Know yourself, care for all, and create a better world” “mean to you?
This sounds like the old Melawati way: Take care of yourself, Take care of others, and Take care of this place. And that’s a part of my childhood. I remember putting up my three fingers at the beginning of assemblies or when a teacher wanted us to be quiet.
The values that I grew up with hold great importance to me. They are very important to me because they seem to be the basic “laws” of being a good person, and I always aspire to be one. Therefore, they are essential to me.
Do you know of any student, teacher, parent, or staff who always have an anecdote to tell, love to share some insights into their passions and interest, or simply is a Panther through and through? Nominate them to be featured in our Panthers of ISKL stories by sending in your submissions here.
