Transitioning from roles as a hotelier, event planner, and interpreter to her current position as a full-time scholar, UTM alumna Professor Jenny Oliveros Lao Phillips reflects on how her four-year undergraduate journey at the University has ignited her passion for academia. Presently holding the role of Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Saint Joseph, she underscores how the internationalised and multicultural setting of UTM, coupled with diverse hands-on learning opportunities, have shaped her career.
It was a make-or-break moment for Jenny Oliveros Lao Phillips when she applied to UTM—formerly known as the Institute for Tourism Studies—over two decades ago, as she had not applied to any other universities for tertiary education. “If I hadn't received a university education, my career path would have been completely different,” she reflects.
But the rest is history. Successfully enrolled in and graduated from UTM, she has ventured into the local hospitality industry and academia over the next two decades. Presently, she serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Saint Joseph (USJ), with research interests spanning family business, social entrepreneurship, organisational behaviour and innovation, tourism, hospitality, and beyond.
In addition to a bachelor's degree in tourism business management from UTM in 2000, Prof. Phillips, a Macao native, holds a Master of Business Administration from the Macau Inter-University Institute (IIUM)—the precursor of USJ—and a Master of Arts in English Studies (Literature Specialisation) from the University of Macau. She also completed a Ph.D. in Business Administration from USJ in 2015.
Following her graduation from UTM in 2000, she worked in the public relations department of a local hotel before joining the Diocesan Youth Pastoral Centre of Macao to organise local activities and overseas visits for Macao's youth. “The job market was tough for university graduates at the time, but all my classmates and I had secured job offers before graduation,” she remarks, highlighting the quality of education at UTM.
Before joining USJ as a full-time academic in 2008, she also taught English at the Macao Polytechnic Institute (now the Macao Polytechnic University) and worked as a freelance Cantonese/English interpreter and translator at local trade shows, exhibitions, meetings, and government events.
Internationalised environment
“My high school teachers saw potential in me as a teacher, but I wasn't interested at the time,” she shares, adding her passion for academia stems from her undergraduate years. “The experience at UTM changed my perception of education, sparking my interest in the academic environment.”
For example, the educational approach at UTM, which emphasises both theoretical learning and practical experiences, stands in stark contrast to her previous perception of learning solely by memorisation—she was provided with ample opportunities to organise and partake in events on campus and within local communities during her time at the University.
“The UTM faculty, comprising teachers from diverse backgrounds, were also very friendly and engaged with us beyond the classroom, altering my past perception of teachers as serious and rigid,” she adds.
Apart from the faculty, the multicultural student body at UTM also enriched her experience. “A key takeaway from my four years at UTM is learning to respect and understand different cultures through interacting with classmates and teachers from places like the United Kingdom, the United States, and Malaysia,” she notes. “Despite its modest student population, UTM had already fostered an internationalised environment back then.”
Through cultural exchanges and event participation during her time at UTM, she honed her interpersonal skills, a valuable asset in her career and personal life to this day.
For current UTM undergraduates, Prof. Phillips underlines the importance of having a vision. “We must have aspirations in life. Without dreams, life loses its meaning,” she emphasises. “It's also crucial to treat everyone with equal respect, irrespective of their backgrounds.”