November Person of the Month — Tasha Lim Yi Chien
Tasha Lim Yi Chien, a final year student of the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya
In the eyes of others, Tasha’s most frequently used line might be, "My Lords, if I may be of no further assistance, I shall rest my case." Currently a final year law student, Tasha Lim Yi Chien is known to be an outstanding mooter who had competed in several prestigious moot court competitions. Her significant triumphs include winning the ‘Best Oralist’ title and together with her team, bagging the Best Memorial Award in the 2017 national rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, and emerging as the first runner-up in both the 2016 Tun Suffian Moot Court Competition and the 2015 Novice Arbitration Mooting Competition (NAMCO).
Recalling her three-year journey in the mooting world, Tasha’s mooting career was not smooth-sailing in the beginning. Without any prior debating experience, she did not manage to win any competition in her first year. She was on the verge of giving up when she found her burning passion for mooting again during the 2016 Tun Suffian Moot Court Competition. Obstacles are inevitable for every mooter, but Tasha managed to overcome them by striking a balance between commitment and leisure. She made it clear that one has to, “study smart and stay focused. These are the keys to success.” Being a mooter does not push this exuberant law student into spending her whole day in the library- instead, she allocates her time for outdoor sports such as jogging and swimming, which help to clear her mind in the midst of her hectic life.
During the interview, Tasha generously shared some tips on mooting. In her opinion, an adroit mooter would not go far without the ability to read the judges, or in other words, the ability to adapt to the different styles and expectations of the judges. Tasha further added that teamwork is crucial and in order to maintain it, one has to learn how to work together- “it’s a give-and-take relationship”. Last but not least, a successful mooter must be smart and a hard worker– the drive to learn must be there.
Tasha and her team emerged as first runner-ups in the national rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition 2017
Apart from mooting, Tasha is also passionate about Japanese Literature. Her zeal for writing and her love for poetry has led to the publication of her first poem collection《21》, which successfully gained both local and international readers. Her poem “How Are You” was featured in Eksentrika.com, a content website dedicated to showcase Malaysian talents, inspire more creative and spur the growth of local arts. If you are struggling to express your emotions, check out Tasha’s beautifully written pieces on Instagram at her page @penciledwords- she might be able to evoke just the right feeling for you!
Tasha with her poem collection,《21》
Apart from mooting and faculty events, Tasha allocated her time for sports as well
Staying comfortably in her niche is definitely not Tasha’s style- she keeps herself occupied every day by joining both university and faculty activities. Having to work under pressure, Tasha constantly reminds herself on the importance of self-discipline to keep her moving forward in life. When asked about how she would spend her final year in the faculty, she answered, “I wish to stop mooting and focus on my studies, join external events and help the future mooters.”
As for her involvement in university events, Tasha was the Vice Director of the inaugural TEDxUniversityofMalaya, which serves as a platform for people to share their ideas via speeches and discussions. One of the challenges that arose was when her team had difficulties in looking for sponsors due to the poor publicity of the event. “Besides finding sponsorships, there were times when I did not see eye-to-eye with the Director because of our different work styles. Nevertheless, we managed to work it out in the end,” she recalled. Now that she is the newly-elected Director, Tasha aspires to have more thought-provoking topics in TEDx because the whole idea behind the event is “lovely and educational.”
Picture taken during TEDxUniversityofMalaya
Tasha’s active involvement in the faculty events and activities is evident when she was appointed as the Head of Marketing of LawNite 2015/16. This opportunity enabled her to improve networking skills as she led her team in approaching law firms and companies for sponsorships. Owing to her leadership skills, Tasha was entrusted with the position of the Head of Discipline Bureau during the Orientation Week 2017. She believes that the Orientation Week is necessary to expose the freshmen to the harsh legal world. On top of that, she contends that the freshmen must know the importance of rules compliance because they will be upholding the law in the long run.
Tasha and her Marketing Bureau members of LawNite 15/16
Tasha with her Discipline Bureau members during the Orientation Week 2017
Tasha’s journey in law school has shaped her into a remarkable person who can work and perform under stressful circumstances. Pressure will either turn one into dust or a diamond- Tasha is definitely the latter. She is of the opinion that life is too short to focus only on academics, and would advise the juniors to not only work hard, but play hard too. Last but not least, she hopes that everyone will do their best to contribute to the betterment of the world. “You cannot change the world, but if you can change or make a difference in a person's world with your words and actions, then you are already making a difference. And that is what matters.”