Astro Tutor TV really couldn’t have picked a better person to voice one of their animated tutors than 25-year-old Choo Mei Sze.
Mei Sze is the voice behind tutor “Lisa” on the educational channel’s SPM Express programme (Astro channel 603). She’s perfect for the job – she maintained perfect scores throughout her time studying in the United States, has been on a full scholarship there since she was 18, and by next year, she’ll have her PhD in Psychology.
So, if you’re looking for someone with super book smarts to tutor your kids, even if it’s through an animated character, Mei Sze is your gal.
“Yeah, you can say I’m an over-achiever,” she said, laughing in embarrassment. “People tell me that a lot!”
This “over-achiever”, however, isn’t content just to be good with the books. She’s back in Malaysia to make a difference, saying goodbye to six wonderful years at the University of Hawaii. Now that’s commitment to a cause.
As an academic, she says, it would be almost impossible to make an impact because very few research papers end up in the public eye. “The people you want to help won’t ever see it,” she said.
Instead, Mei Sze’s goal now is to host a talk show in Malaysia that helps young people deal with mental and emotional issues.
“A lot of Malaysian youth need help with being repressed,” she said. “They have problems but they can’t talk about it. A lot of them are in depression, but they don’t even know what they’re going through.”
But as she started working her way towards achieving that goal, Mei Sze slowly came to accept that she would have to brand herself as a “celebrity psychologist”, as much as she dislikes the term.
Mei Sze got tired of losing out on TV hosting opportunities, and realised that she would have to rely on more than just her credentials as a bright young psychology student if she wanted to help the youth here.
“I’m not comfortable with the term ‘celebrity’, but I want to reach out to Malaysian youth via the media, and I’ve come to realise that (being a celebrity psychologist) is the only way,” she said.
Since then, she’s been working hard auditioning for various events and TV hosting jobs, one of which was for Astro Tutor TV.
“Tutor TV is very much aligned with what I want to do, because it’s about reaching out to the youth; plus as a psychologist, I think it’s a very effective way for students to learn.
“I go in once a week to record two episodes – it’s really fun!” she said.
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