Alyssa Lai ‘12
Faculty of Humanities
Alyssa Lai graduated in 2012 from the Faculty of Humanities with a combined honours degree in Communication Studies and Theatre and Film Studies. Since arriving to Canada from Malaysia in 2008, she has worked and volunteered for more than 15 non-profit organizations and continues to provide strategic counsel to local charities as a member on various boards. Alyssa is a cross-sector communications professional whose happy place lies in the unique intersection of non-profit, public, and private sectors. In 2017, she was selected as one of 25 rising leaders as a CivicAction DiverseCity Fellow, a regional and award-winning leadership program. She also teaches Continuing Education at Mohawk College. Alyssa has been recognized for her achievements with the Top 40 Under Forty Business Achievement Award (Hamilton, 2019), McMaster University Hamilton Community Impact Award (2015), and YWCA Hamilton Woman of Distinction Award (Public Affairs, 2014).
1. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO MCMASTER?
My grade 12 teacher, who is a McMaster grad, inspired me to choose Mac out of the other universities that accepted me.
Mr. Hanna taught history. He’s passionate about the subject, and it showed. My 17-year-old self didn’t like learning about history, which, at that time, I considered to be a dull and boring subject. But Mr. Hanna’s contagious enthusiasm and love for storytelling made history exciting and memorable. He told stories of the World Wars with gusto, assigned creative projects to deepen our understanding about various key historical moments, and encouraged questions. He’s still one of the best teachers I’ve had.
As a former international student, choosing the right university wasn’t easy. It’s hard to figure out which school meets your need and goals when you can’t easily visit the campus in person or directly talk to anyone there. So, I relied on my gut — and some common sense. I thought then, “If Mr. Hanna is such a good teacher, he must have a good university education.” As it turned out, that logic was right.
2. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR CAREER?
For me, it’s the people you work with or the challenging, yet rewarding moments that define your professional life. Both areas have helped give shape to my leadership style and voice.
Having the honour to lead the largest young professional network in Hamilton will always be a highlight in my professional and volunteer journey. I worked with a team of talented, driven, and ambitious young professionals to set the organization’s strategic priority at its early days as a non-profit and created valuable programming for local rising leaders. Young, and perhaps oblivious to the gravity of the challenges that confronted me, I was relentless in my mission. But the friendships fostered outweighed any disappointments or regrets in the mistakes I made in the role.
Another highlight was being a DiverseCity Fellow. The award-winning and coveted fellowship by CivicAction brings together close to 30 leaders in the GTHA to build capacity to be inclusive and thoughtful leaders. I learned to lean into my introversion and strengths as a communicator to drive action and change and find common ground across differences.
3. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE?
One of my biggest, yet rewarding, challenges in my professional work so far is leading internal communications for COVID-19 response for a national financial services organization during an extremely volatile and evolving environment.
Yet, a challenge like this also reaffirms and highlights my strengths: curiosity, strategic thinking, and the ability to “figure it out” to get things done. Most importantly, aside from personal growth, this challenge exposes me to other business areas and demonstrates to me that no one can go far in life alone — it takes people, purpose, and partnerships.
4. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED OR KNOWN FOR?
In my interactions and relationships with others, I hope I leave people thinking about an issue or topic differently, in a way that they may not have considered before. A Google search doesn’t always provide satisfactory answers, so I often turn to people and ask questions to make meaning and paint a picture of the world I live in.
Some questions like “Why do people in Canada check the weather every day?” yield easy, practical answers. Other questions like “What do you mean by ‘how’s it going?”’ are less obvious. And of course, there are questions, such as “Why are mobile fees in Canada so expensive?” that prompt deeper discussions and unearth various political and economic issues.
Anyway, what do you think?
5. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO CURRENT STUDENTS?
Your time at McMaster is a blank canvas — you decide how you want to paint it. Worry less about “finding your passion” and focus instead on exploring different interests to satisfy your curiosity. The things and theories you learn aren’t a disconnect from the real world; they are the foundation to how our society functions. Approach each course with an open mind and bridge what you learn in the classroom with practical experiences, such as through volunteer roles, student jobs, or internships.
A university education doesn’t just prepare you for your career, it shapes you as a person and crystalizes your values.
