Bright sparks pursue dreams and passion – with YS help
Published on: Saturday, June 27, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Educational opportunity is one of the most precious gifts the Yayasan Sabah Group could continuously give to eligible students.Annually, the Sabah State Scholarship or Anugerah Biasiswa Cemerlang Negeri Sabah (ABCNS) awarded to 25 excellent students at Tun Ahmad Raffae Auditorium, Menara Tun Mustapha.The ceremony which was held last Tuesday was graced by Chief Minister of Sabah – cum – Chairman of Yayasan Sabah Board of Trustees, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman and is always anticipated by many high school leavers.
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Sack Yi Ying, born in Sandakan but raised in Kota Kinabalu was one of the award recipients in 2011 and came from a family of four. She was very happy and grateful to be offered the award because to her, this means that she was among the lucky few. "Ever since in high school, I have been envisioning myself having a career in human resources and data analytics. Currently I am completing my degree in Psychology and Statistics at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, United States," and Yi Ying."I am truly grateful for this scholarship because without it, I won't be able to pursue my tertiary education dreams. I think this is an excellent award that motivates students to aim for good results, and Yayasan Sabah Group is doing a great job supporting students who need financial aid and have high dreams like myself."Sharing her studying tips, Yi Ying said she did not have special secret in obtaining 11 As. However she urged SPM students to start studying early, stay focused and study smart. Yi Ying also thanked her parents for always supporting her goals and her teachers who dedicated so much effort in making who she is today.
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Adding to the fabric of ABCNS former recipients community, Mohd Syamil Abdul Kalam also shared his indebtedness to Yayasan Sabah Group. Raised in Kota Kinabalu along with her four other twin sisters, Syamil was a graduate from University of Adelaide, South Australia. Having excelled in all his exams throughout his schooling period ie. achieving 5 As in UPSR in 2003, 8 As for his PMR in 2006 and 10A1 in SPM, competing with lots of other students, Syamil was selected as one of ABCNS former recipients.
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"I extend my thankfulness and recognition to the State Government of Sabah via Yayasan Sabah Group for this life time opportunity to have received the ABCNS in 2009. A very special thanks to the Chief Minister for this wonderful programme in helping all the anak – anak Sabah to fulfil their dreams," Syamil said. "To be honest, there are no secrets to all the achievements that I have managed to accomplish. Hard work, pure dedication and prayers were the main supplies that I carried around with me till the last day of my university life as well as support from amazing friends and family," said Syamil. Syamil's next goal is to develop a career as a Chemical Engineer to endeavour all the challenges that life put on him with all the skills and knowledge that he had acquired throughout his studying life experience. On tips for the next possible ABCNS recipients, Syamil gladly professed "Study hard and live a healthy lifestyle because believe it or not, a healthy body makes a healthy mind. Stay strong, hold on to your prayers and never ever give up!"Another former recipient was Chong Ching Yee. With a superb SPM result of 12A1 in 2008, Ching Yee, who hails from Sandakan, graduated from University of Warwick, United Kingdom, in July 2014 with a First Class Honours in BSc Accounting and Finance. "I was thrilled and above all, grateful when I found out that I was offered the ABCNS award. Hence my deepest gratitude to the State Government and Yayasan Sabah Group for the financial support that was offered to me in completing my undergraduate studies. Obtaining the scholarship is an important milestone in my life as without it, I would not be able to gain the valuable overseas exposure and the opportunity to study at a prestigious university," said Ching Yee. Ching Yee also mentioned her indebtedness to her mother for the moral support and sacrifices given to her and her family throughout the years as a single mother.For Ching Yee, time management, staying focus and hard work were her study tips. Ching Yee has her next plan to study for Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Qualification while pursuing a career in Equity Research. Drs. Jessel Samson Ekol. was born and grew up in Penampang along with three other siblings. He completed his study from Penang International Dental College in 2014 and is currently working in Kota Kinabalu as a dentist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1.He excelled and scored straight As in both UPSR and SPM. He shares his secret along with advice for this year's students that will be sitting for SPM examination. "It is important for the scholars to always observe self-discipline, consistency, concentrate and do not be shy to ask questions in classes to fully understand the topics," he said. Dr Jessel thanked his parents for believing, guiding and supporting both financial and moral throughout his study. He also mentioned his indebtedness to the teachers and lecturers."Thank you to the State Government and Yayasan Sabah Group. I was really happy and overjoyed for being one of the 25 excellent students offered the ABCNS award. This award has eased the burden of my parents in supporting me financially to pursue my dream to be a dentist," said Dr Jessel.After successfully achieving one of his goals to be a dentist, he would like to further his study to become a specialist in one of the many branches of dentistry and thereafter open his own dental clinic. Abdul Qayyum Bin Jumidey, originating from Lok Kawi, completed his Form Five at SMK Labu, Negeri Sembilan 2005 under the Program Penghantaran Pelajar to Peninsular Malaysia sponsored by Yayasan Sabah Group.Upon completion of SPM, he furthered his studies at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, majoring in Medicine and Surgery which was also under the sponsorship of Yayasan Sabah Group via ABCNS. Currently, Abdul Qayyum is working as a Medical Officer at the Sabah Women and Children Hospital, Likas. "I was very excited and grateful. Indeed, the award has granted an opportunity for me to continue my studies and pursue my goals. There is no real secret. I think all of us have our own desires to be successful in life. When we want something, we should be looking for a way to get it," remarked Abdul Qayyum.His dream after completing his Housemanship is to be a Medical Lecturer at any of the medical faculties in Malaysia. From there, he intends to continue his expertise in the field of radiology or public health. "For those SPM candidates, my advice are, you must have a dream and pursue your dreams. With excellent SPM results, it will promise you better chances to develop yourselves and realise your ambitions. Life is not just entertainment, facebooking or tweeting. Prepare yourself with knowledge and skills. It will become your power. Believe me, people will respect you if you have brains," said Abdul Qayyum.He concluded "My grateful shout-out and deepest thanks to my father, my mother and my teachers. I am here today because of them. I believe the main assets Sabah today is human capital. We may have a lot of natural resources and the allocation of funds, but without quality human capital, we're not going anywhere. ABCNS award is a great investment of the State through Yayasan Sabah Group to ensure the continuance of human capital in the future".Saidatun Nurfarahin Binti Matnin, raised in Kota Belud, is presently doing her 7th. semester of Bachelor (Hons) in Petroleum Engineering in Universiti Technology Petronas (UTP). Saidatun completed her secondary education from Sekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan Labu (SMAP LABU) in Negeri Sembilan. Coming from a family of six, Saidatun is the only girl. She has been staying at hostel since Form One until she completed her SPM.Obtaining 10As and 1B in her 2010 SPM examination, she said. "No words can describe how grateful I am being one of the former recipients of ACBNS. The award really meant a lot to me. ABCNS gave me a lifetime chance for me to pursue my study at any university that we want. I have been aiming to continue my study in Petroleum Engineering course at Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) under this scholarship since I was in Form 3. To be short listed as one of students to receive the award was truly a dream comes true. All I can say is I was indeed very grateful."Saidatun said, every student has his other own ways or technique on how to study. For early preparation, I prefer to study by myself. I will join a group discussion if I need further input or explanation on certain subjects. If I'm stuck on something, I will always ask teachers and friends for help. Other than that, I do a lot of exercise in order to understand more of what I had learned in class."Saidatun added, "Besides maintaining studying excellency in class, I also balanced myself by involving in co-curriculum activities which helps improve my soft skills such as time management, leadership and communication skills which was a very good preparation for me before I face the real world. I represented my school in badminton, tenpin bowling, short and long distances run besides choral speaking at state level. I was also the school prefect for three years in my former school. I was grateful I can equally distribute time for my study and co-curriculum activities."Saidatun is hoping to get a job at a reputable company in oil and gas industry, either in Malaysia or abroad. Her long term goal is to see herself grow in a specific field, either as a key decision maker or a technical expert in her field. "Getting this award would not have been possible without the inspiration I have received from my family, teachers and friends. I will forever indebted to my beloved parents, Matnin Mohammed and Rohaidah Rashkin for giving me unfailing support of time and encouragement throughout my studying journey. Sincere appreciation also to my teachers for their guidance and endless commitment to assist me in my academic year. For those who have touched my life in any way, I am truly grateful for all you have done. It would be difficult to find adequate words to convey how much I owed to all of you," expressed Saidatun.In a nutshell, Saidatun contributed her appreciation also to the State Government and Yayasan Sabah Group. She elaborated, "To be considered as one of the recipients of the award is a great honour and privilege. It was not just my sole effort that has brought me here. Yayasan Sabah Group has been one organisation that assisted in sponsoring my education in SM (A) Persekutuan, Labu, Negeri Sembilan ie. one of the best boarding schools in Malaysia, eversince I was in Form 1 until Form 5."Another former recipient of ABCNS is Azilleo Kristo Mozihim. Azilleo is currently doing his Bachelor in Science (Biochemistry) programme at University College London (UCL). His father is originally from Matunggong, Kudat while his mother is from Penampang. Azilleo has another two siblings, one of whom just graduated while the other is still studying."Attitude and discipline are the two secrets that allowed me to achieve excellence in my SPM. Specifically, I viewed education as primarily my responsibility where teachers and parents acting merely as facilitators. Furthermore, I viewed education as an integral part of my life instead of being confined to a particular building, time or only to be done in a formal context. Besides attitude, discipline allowed me to go through my plan consistently and effectively, despite encountering recurrent setbacks," Azilleo quoted his tips.Meanwhile to those students taking their SPM this year, Azzileo spurred them, "Start early! From day one of the semester, start revising the subject contents so that you can obtain a genuine understanding of them. Secondly, persevere when you are confused or facing difficulty. Being confused or encountering a frustrating topic does not mean you are unintelligent but, instead, indicates that you are stretching your mind and growing intellectually. In such a situation, persevere by seeking help from appropriate sources: another book that explains it from a different angle of a friend who understands the problem or your subject teacher. Finally, remember that learning is primarily your responsibility and no one can bear that responsibility other than yourself."Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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