Good education key to fulfilling ambitions, recipients say

Tay Tze Yi, 20 Monash University Malaysia Bachelor of Medical Bioscience

Life has not been easy. I suffered through traumatic struggles from a young age, starting with my parents’ divorce at just fiveyears-old. I then lost my grandfather – who took care of me after my mother left – and I had to deal with my father’s untimely death in 2015.

I’m currently living with my uncle and his family, who is my father’s youngest brother. Despite these hardships, I am determined to lead a good and fruitful life because I am passionate about helping people. I believe a quality education will help me achieve my dream of creating a positive impact in people’s lives, and enable me to live better using knowledge obtained from an education.

Thanks to the Star Education Fund, I’m studying the course I’ve always wanted, a Bachelor of Medical Bioscience in Monash University Malaysia. I do not need to be a doctor or pharmacist to cure people, but I wish to leverage my passion of helping people in doing research about diseases to invent new medicine or vaccines.

The scholarship has lightened my family’s financial burden, allowing me to focus more on my academics. I believe it was my tenacity which secured me the scholarship. I will do my very best, and will not let the people who love and trust me down.

Faith Foo, 19 University of Nottingham Malaysia BA hons English with Creative Writing

Born to a creative director father and homemaker-cum-piano teacher mother, I was bound to have an artistic and creative streak. Hence, my decision to pursue creative writing was a predicted move right from an early age. The art of storytelling undeniably possesses the spark of inspiration and wonder to connect each and everyone of us.

The Star Education Fund scholarship has brought me closer to my dream of mastering this medium of language to effectively touch the lives of those I love. Education ultimately expands and introduces world views, and that is really important. People need to learn how to see the bigger picture while finding their place in the world, so that we can thrive in progress and have a collective understanding of what works well in a society. The scholarship proves to me that I am studying for a cause bigger than myself. It imbues me further with an incentive to contribute to our community. It has also certainly eased the pressure on my student debt as my family has gone through more than a year without an active income.

Bavenraj Partipan, 18 HELP University Foundation in Arts leading to Bachelor in Information Technology (Hons) Data Analytic

Money did not come easy even before the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. I did not want to burden my father, who is an e-hailing driver, and my mother who is a clerk in SJK (C) Han Ming, Puchong, with expenses for my studies. So I took up a full-time job in a publishing company after scoring straight As in my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exam last year to save some money for university necessities such as a laptop, registration fees and other miscellaneous expenses.

I can’t describe the joy and gratitude I felt when I was confirmed as a Star Education Fund recipient – like my elder brother – as it takes the burden off my family and worries for student debt off my shoulders. This way, I can concentrate on maintaining a high CGPA in my Foundation in Arts programme which leads to a Bachelor of Data Analytic. I want to become a cybersecurity expert and education is the pathway to fulfilling my ambition, which will lead me to getting a good job. Without education, it will be very difficult for students from low-income families like me to earn a good living.

Ashwiini Maran, 21 TAR University College Bachelor of Business (Hons) Accounting & Finance

Education is my survival kit to achieve greater things and to uplift my quality of life. I pursue it with determination because it is a threshold for a sophisticated and erudite lifestyle.

Before getting the Star Education Fund scholarship, I worked and saved up to shoulder my degree’s first semester tuition fees. Born to a salesman father and a housewife mother, this second scholarship I received from the fund relieves their burden and aids my financial needs greatly. It allows me to complete my studies without any hindrances. The scholarship is my only financial source as I’m getting no financial aid from any other source. That is my driving force to pursue tertiary education. I believe I was selected to be a recipient because of my confidence and intention to pursue my studies. Accounting is my course of choice because of my passion to be successful in the sector.