Everybody has gone through hardships in life that has made them the person they are TODAY. Well, here is my transformation story. As a child, I viewed the world as my personal Disney movie. I related mostly to fictional characters that helped boost my self-esteem and I dreamt real big. I was the child whose life goal was to embody ‘The Little Mermaid’, conquering and leading my fellow “ocean people” as a devoted, strong, young woman. As I grew older, it became clearer that I had the ambition without the driving spirit. I did not have the direction nor was I focussed enough. I remember telling my 15-year-old self that “If things are meant to happen for me, they will” therefore I did not put any effort into my education and extracurricular activities. At 16 years of age, as I was walking to my school cafeteria, I was pulled aside by my math teacher Mr. Khor. He asked me one question, What do I view myself as? It surprised me that I could not even recall one thing that I thought I was good at. That night I sat down with a piece of paper and made my own vision board. I listed down every trait I needed in order for me to become the “queen” of my own story. The next day, I was approached by the same teacher. This time he sat me down and told me he was going to help me reach my potential. He introduced me to the Athletics team, motivated me every single day, and pushed me to my limits. By the end of my graduating year (2017), I had won 11 medals in both state and school sporting events and I also graduated high school with above-average results in my SPM.

With the guidance of my teacher, I realized that I could only reach my goals by actively (and passionately) breaking the glass ceiling and as such, I started picking up skills that differed from my current undergraduate course (Biotechnology). My first step was to make real a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl— modelling. I took part in my first-ever modelling contest and won the best female model along with Miss Face of Beauty Malaysia in 2018. With that as encouragement, I moved a step higher by joining various student body organizations that aided in the development of my hard skills. Consequently, I wondered if I was ready for the working world and took part in the ‘Kelas Inspirasi Sunsilk Challenge” where I won an internship with mega-conglomerate, Unilever. I proceeded to move forward with more internships in various fields all while attending classes for my 2nd year of undergraduate school. At the end of 2021, I realized how much I had blossomed and yet again took up a challenge— to pursue a higher role in nonprofit organizations. I unlearnt and relearnt imperative skills that helped groom me into the person that I am today— a proud Biotech major, freelance fashion model, and Vice President of both MYBIOSA (Malaysian Biotechnology Student Associations) and AIESEC in Kedah-Perlis. I lead my teams through philanthropic projects that focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), focusing specifically on the environment, education, mental health wellness, and entrepreneurship. In this current time, I think I can look back at my 8-year-old self and tell her that we’ve finally become the queen’ of our life and I’ll vow to continue living her “Little Mermaid” dream.