KUCHING: Pleant Rovella never set out with a carefully mapped career plan.
Like many students pursuing a Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) degree, the 38-year-old believed she was preparing for a future in the classroom, never imagining the journey would eventually lead her into educational publishing, communications, corporate affairs and board education.
As the first daughter and first granddaughter, Rovella said expectations were never openly discussed at home.
“Expectations are rarely announced. They just quietly occupy the room,” she said, adding that growing up as the eldest taught her to become more observant than responsible, a quality that would later shape the way she approached communication throughout her career.
That quiet habit of observing and listening would later become one of the defining strengths of her work.
While TESL provided the academic foundation for teaching, Rovella said writing remained the one constant throughout her life, serving as the way she processed ideas and made sense of the world around her.
Graduating with lower second-class honours left Rovella questioning whether she was capable enough, admitting there always seemed to be someone “quicker, sharper or effortlessly brilliant” than she was.
Despite those doubts, Rovella said writing never judged her by her academic results.
“Writing never interviewed me. It never asked for my transcript. It never seemed particularly interested in my grade point average. It just kept showing up, quietly insisting we had unfinished business,” she said.
Writing, she added, was the one thing that never asked her to prove she was worthy before giving her a chance.
Her first role in educational publishing saw her writing learning materials instead of teaching them in a classroom, an experience that quietly reshaped her understanding of what teaching could look like.
Rovella said she initially believed her parents had encouraged her to pursue TESL because careers in communications and writing were unfamiliar to them.
“I don’t think they were trying to steer me away from what I loved. They were trying to steer me towards something they believed would take care of me. Those are very different things,” she said.
Years later, Rovella realised her parents had never doubted her ability, but were simply trying to prepare her for a future they understood.
“I don’t think fear always sounds like fear. Sometimes it sounds remarkably like practical advice,” she said.
Each opportunity reaffirmed Rovella’s belief that practicality and passion could coexist, taking her from educational publishing into communications, editorial work, corporate affairs and eventually board education.
Experience across different industries later showed Rovella that her TESL degree had prepared her for far more than teaching English.
“It taught me how to understand people before trying to communicate with them. Every person brings a different perspective, experience and way of looking at the world, and I realised effective communication begins with taking the time to understand those differences before expecting to be understood,” she said.
Whether she was developing educational materials, preparing speeches, editing publications or designing board education programmes, Rovella said the questions remained the same: who was the audience, what did they need and how could ideas be communicated in ways that stayed with them?
“I don’t think I ever left teaching. The classroom just became considerably larger. And occasionally everyone wears a suit,” she said.
While her career steadily evolved, the more difficult journey was learning to separate expectations from identity.
Growing up as the first daughter and first granddaughter meant Rovella often felt an unspoken responsibility to set an example, even when nobody explicitly asked her to.
“Sometimes people think expectations come with instructions. They don’t. They’re often silent. You just grow into them without realising it,” she said.
For years, she measured herself against what she believed others expected of her, questioning whether she was doing enough or becoming enough.
That habit of comparison followed her into adulthood, where self-doubt often spoke louder than achievement.
“There was always someone who seemed quicker, sharper or effortlessly brilliant. I spent a long time believing I had to become someone else before I could deserve the opportunities in front of me,” she said.
Experience eventually taught Rovella that confidence was rarely something people started with.
Instead, Rovella said confidence was built by continuing to show up, even while questioning herself.
“You don’t have to feel fearless before taking the next step. Sometimes courage is simply deciding that uncertainty doesn’t get the final say,” she said.
Her perspective also reshaped the way she viewed success, which gradually became less about titles or recognition and more about doing meaningful work, remaining curious and embracing every opportunity to learn.
“The goal was never to become the smartest person in the room. It was to keep learning from the people already in it,” she said.
That shift in thinking allowed her to stop viewing success as a destination and start seeing it as a process.
She also became more comfortable embracing authenticity instead of perfection.
“I’ve realised people don’t connect with perfection. They connect with honesty, with humility and with people who are willing to keep learning,” she said.
Today, Rovella no longer sees uncertainty as something to overcome, but as part of every meaningful journey, saying every new role, challenge and opportunity has reminded her that growth rarely comes from waiting until everything feels certain.
“Growth has never arrived when I had everything figured out. It has always arrived while I was still learning,” she said.
Those experiences continue to shape the way Rovella leads, communicates and approaches her work, with the lessons she learned through education, writing and self-discovery continuing to influence every new role and responsibility she undertakes.
Whether conceptualising and designing board education programmes, developing strategic communications or working with leaders across different sectors, Rovella said she has always focused on helping people understand one another through meaningful conversations.
For Rovella, effective communication has never been about having the loudest voice in the room.
“I’ve always believed communication begins with listening. If you don’t genuinely understand people, you can’t expect your message to resonate with them,” she said.
That philosophy has guided her throughout her professional journey, reminding her that influence is built not through authority, but through trust.
“Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating an environment where people feel safe enough to ask questions, challenge ideas and continue learning together,” she said.
Rovella also hopes more young people will feel confident pursuing careers that may not follow conventional paths.
Degrees, she said, should not define the limits of what graduates believe they can become.
“I think many of us underestimate how transferable our skills really are. The degree may open one door, but it’s your curiosity and willingness to keep learning that determine how many others you’ll eventually walk through,” she said.
Looking back, Rovella said she no longer measures success by job titles or milestones, but by whether she continues to grow while helping others do the same.
“I’m still learning. I hope I always will be,” she said.
It is, perhaps, the one lesson that has remained constant throughout a journey that began in a TESL classroom and gradually expanded into boardrooms, editorial meetings and leadership conversations.
The classroom may have grown considerably larger, but for Rovella, growth has never been measured by where her career has taken her, only by whether she continues to learn, listen and remain curious.
