In this final of a four-part Young Leaders Series, Yayasan Khazanah alumni share how they stay connected with each other
IT WAS a casual conversation with her father that led to Dr Nur Aainaa Syafini Mohd Radzi making her best decision ever – taking up a marine science bachelor degree at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT).
Not only did she love and excel in the degree programme, she also got an offer from Universiti Malaya (UM) to do a fast track PhD programme in chemistry, specialising in environmental pollution.
She was nominated by UM to go for the Yayasan Khazanah scholarship screening and became one of the first YK Watan scholars.
She graduated at the age of 26 with a PhD and owes it all to her family, friends and most importantly the YK team for their never-ending support throughout her journey.
“My PhD journey honestly was a tough journey and even harder for me as I did not do a master degree first, to get myself familiar with focused labwork activities.
“Thankfully, I had a group of people under YK in the same situation, and we meet up quite often to help each other on that journey. They, who I called family, are still with me till today.
“No doubt YK has helped me to grow personally and professionally through the training, support, facilitation and opportunities given during my PhD, as well as the network among alumni that I have after graduation.
“I am still utilising the YK alumni network to get input, exchange ideas as well as share updates, ” said the 36-year-old who is currently acting head of the research unit at Institut Masa Depan Malaysia (MASA).
The journey as a YK scholar has been a formative and transformative experience for Dipti Kumar, from when she was studying LLM (Masters of Law) at King’s College London to working in the corporate world.
“Being a YK scholar, you feel valued and supported to hone and utilise your skills to continuously grow.
“Finding a suitable job and learning more about your strengths and skills was made easier by YK through its alumni network.
Date: 31 August 2020
Source: TheStar – https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/08/31/family-for-life
Images from: iStock – https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/executive-giving-presentation-to-colleagues-gm973911106-264973202