During our interview, Chang reflected on the experiences that had shaped his outlook over the years. Having grown up in a predominantly Chinese-speaking environment and attended a Chinese-language school, he found himself outside his comfort zone when he moved to Australia to study architecture.
“I couldn’t really speak English even though I had learned a bit of it. When my lecturer asked me to explain more about my presentation, I stood there, nervous and a bit lost,” Chang recalled. Although studying in Australia was initially a culture shock, he found parallels between Melbourne’s multicultural environment and the diversity of his hometown, Kuala Lumpur.
Another formative experience happened in his childhood. “My father was a contractor. During the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, many contractors lost their jobs or were put on tight contracts so in order to survive, they opened hawker stalls or kopitiams,” shared Chang.
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