Being your typical introvert, I did not talk a lot. I had no concrete circle of friends, and even if I have people I consider friends, I have less than 10 of them. The pandemic made the introverted me worst, I became even quieter. I got into University in the second half of 2020, it was one of my biggest achievements. First in the family to pursue a degree, paid for my admissions fees all by myself after working long late hours being a cashier, a waitress, a tutor, and any part-time job I could find. The moment I got into University I expected a welcome. At least a fun induction program, but unfortunately there was not any. Brunei was still recovering from Covid-19 and everything was shifted online. The campus was a ghost town, and all we had were online classes. All my exams were online too. Now, this all changed when I chose to change my mindset and take up something challenging to fill in my time. I saw an ad for the Student Representative Council (SRC) registration and I thought “Okay, why not, maybe this is my calling.” I was not wrong at all. I became enthusiastic, filled with adrenaline, and excited to do work. I quit my part-time job to be a full-time member of the SRC and I’m still a proud member today. The SRC never had a female Chief Executive of Leadership and Innovation, the SRC never had a female Yang di-Pertua (President) before, but I did that. I broke the glass ceiling because I wanted to change, from a quiet introvert to an active introvert. And this is my story.
Of course, getting into the SRC at University isn’t easy, it is a competitive organization where out of over 5000 students, only 18 can be lucky enough to be chosen as the Chief Executives or part of the Supreme Council. The SRC in our University was different too, we are in charge of ALL the students. ALL the student activities and ALL the administrative work. It definitely took time to get used to. Then I decided, why not challenge myself even more? So, I joined the Global Shapers Bandar Seri Begawan Hub and became their public relations officer and just after a month, I organized my very own event and managed several events after that as the Eventbrite manager. Then, I decided, okay why not challenge myself even more? So I got into the business world. I became a dropship for the local Malaysian brand, Obsess Cosmetics, and registered my business officially to the government, I made my own videos, I ventured into TikTok, and I got out of my lazy habits to post every day. So all I am saying is, being an introvert does not stop you from going out of your comfort zone. Your MBTI is what scientists have determined for you, but not what you have determined for yourself. Find your passion just like how I found mine.