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T has been almost a year since 19-year-old Ajnish Ghimire from Bharatpur, Nepal, first step foot in Sunway.
One of the five recipients of the Mercy Malaysia Nepal Earthquake Relief Scholarship, Ajnish, is set to complete his studies in the Foundation in Science and Technology (FIST) programme at Sunway College.
Ajnish said the scholarship helped ease his parents’ burden of having to pay for his studies.
He said he chose the FIST programme as he was interested in biomedical sciences and thought it was a good foundation programme.
“The programme covers atoms and elements, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and life, numbers and integration, matter and space, java and programming, as well as critical thinking and research papers,” he said.
The programme is special for those aspiring to be future medical practitioners, engineers, computer programmers, doctors, health policymakers, physicists, chemists or biologists.
“The programme is full of challenges but it is fun. I have found my strengths and weaknesses through these challenging tasks,” he said.
Asides from concentrating on his studies, Ajinish takes an active interest in events on campus including talks, seminars and the Jeffrey Cheah Distinguished Speakers Series.
“My time in the FIST programme and Sunway College has helped me develop critical thinking skills. Sunway hosts many international conference, seminars and has invited world renowned experts to share their knowledge on various topics and issues.”
Besides that, through the set-up of the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development last year, Ajnish has committed himself as a contributor to sustainable development goals.
On pursuing the Bachelor of Science (Hons) Medical Biotechnology at Sunway University, which he will start at the end of this month, Ajnish looks forward to working with the researchers, senior researchers and professors.
When asked why he chose this programme, he said the programme was about human health, biology and how one could work towards improving the quality of life.
He admitted he had a passion for working on global public health issues.
“More than 17 million people die annually due to infectious diseases. I feel that there is a lot to explore so we can find a cure for these diseases. I believe this degree programme will help me in this area”, he said.
“Serving the community on health issues has been my foremost interest ever since I experienced the earthquake in Nepal in 2015,” said Ajnish, who volunteered with Solidarity International, a nongovernmental organisation based in Nepal.
He is the Director of Humanitarian Affairs, where he provides support through promoting humanitarian objectives by developing and maintaining relationship with national and international individuals and organisations.
“My aim is to contribute to society. But to do so, I need to be qualified and experienced. I hope to continue my postgraduate education while working with the community. For the future, I aim to work on public health policy in Nepal.”
Ajnish finds Malaysia a vibrant place to be, with its diversity in food, culture, language and festivals.
The Mercy Malaysia Nepal Earthquake Relief Scholarship provides students affected by the 2015 earthquake an opportunity to pursue studies at Sunway. The scholarship, the first for international students from a developing country affected by a natural disaster, was set up by the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation and the Sunway Education Group with Mercy Malaysia.