Chow Shenn Kuan

Hailing from B40 family in Kamunting and becoming the first-generation college graduate; literacy on scholarships and universities is limited. Despite not applying for any needs-based scholarships due to the lack of exposure and the lack of parent/teacher/sibling guidance when it comes to studying in a college; I am thankful to:

• Sunway College for awarding me the Sunway Special Scholarship, 
• the Ministry of Education for awarding me the Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional Malaysia loan; and
• Sunway University for awarding me the Jeffrey Cheah Continuing Scholarship 

which crafted my pathway into pursuing tertiary education. Later, I have been fortunate to have received the Khazanah scholarship to pursue my postgraduate studies in Education and International Development at University College London.

Going through all that, I would never want any other kid out there experiencing the lack of exposure or know-how in reaching their full potential. Ergo; I have pledged to support other underprivileged, underserved, and underrepresented students out there as I currently:

• mentor low-income students to obtain full scholarships,
• serve in the selection committee for scholarships abroad,
• run a refugee organisation to award 18 refugee children into schools to change their lives, and
• others.

As an alumna of the prestigious education institution like Sunway, I suppose my way of giving back is to propagate what I have learnt to the juniors; be it speaking at talks, panels, or workshops. And of course, having mentored 3 kids who have achieved in obtaining full need-based scholarships at Sunway itself (they are currently still studying in Sunway).

"Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it" is a powerful quote by Karl Marx. It reminds me that we have a responsibility not just to interpret the world, but to actively work towards changing it for the better.

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