In pursuit of academic excellence
JOHOREAN Joanna Shee is determined to fulfil her ambition of earning an MBA despite becoming a career woman.
She joined the workforce a year ago after graduating with a degree in Biotechnology at Nilai University (Nilai U).
She said she found her niche while studying there.
Shee currently works as a management associate under CocaCola Bottlers Malaysia’s Supply Chain Project Team.
Shee joined the workforce a year ago after she graduated with a degree in biotechnology at Nilai University (Nilai U).
Her life has not been a bed of roses as her father passed away from leukaemia when she was only 16.
From that point onwards, Shee’s mother raised Shee and her two younger siblings on her own.
There were many ups and downs along the way and when she passed her SPM, she felt down as she thought it would be tough for her to be able to pursue her studies beyond SPM.
Money was tight and her mother was doing it all on her own.
“It was not a great start for me. While my peers were making plans for their next step after SPM, I was going through moments of hopelessness and uncertainty,” she said.
But miracles do happen and Shee was overjoyed when she was offered a full scholarship by Nilai U to pursue a degree in Biotechnology at the university.
“Nilai U turned my life around. They made it possible for me to complete my degree in biotechnology and make something of my life,” she added.
Shee graduated among the top of her class too as she had worked hard to get to where she was.
“I used every moment during my degree programme be the best I could in both my academic and extra-curricular endeavours,” she said.
Nilai U’s dedicated and passionate lecturers motivated Shee to excel even further in her studies.
“I am grateful to all my lecturers who tirelessly prepared my friends and I for the future.
“They were always generous with their time and they consistently went beyond the call of duty to assist us,” said Shee.
“Their guidance and pastoral care gave me the confidence to explore the academic and extracurricular activities available on campus.”
That has allowed her to excel in her studies and hone her personal skills.
One of the most important skills that she acquired during her time with Nilai U was understanding “balance” and how to put it into practice in her daily life.
“A university education is not only used for the acquisition of knowledge,” she said.
“More importantly, a good university is where one equips oneself with soft skills,” she added.
“In addition to my classroom commitments, I also participated in clubs and societies where I improved my leadership, communication and problem-solving skills,” Shee said.
One of the plus points about Nilai U according to Shee is that the university offers courses conducted by renowned organisations such as Dale Carnegie and Outward Bound where students are awarded certificates upon completion of the courses.
Nilai U’s Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Biotechnology equips students with industry-driven core modules.
Students are also offered specially crafted elective modules on entrepreneurship, critical thinking, professional development and the much sought-after Outward Bound programme.
Shee added that she still maintained a good academic standing despite her extracurricular activities.
“My experience at Nilai U, together with the mentoring I received from my lecturers, taught me how to balance academic and non-academic endeavours which were both equally important to help achieve my goals.”
“Nilai U is special because of its green campus; many of us take this for granted but a peaceful campus environment helps students thrive,” she said.
“It gave me the confidence and the belief that when one is determined, one will succeed. We must never give up without trying,” she added.
■ For details, visit Nilai University located in Putra Nilai or visit http:// www.nilai.edu.my or contact its counsellors at 06-850 2308/ marketing@nilai.edu.my