Driven to succeed

1

(Advertorial)

The story of Petronas-sponsored Sabahans

Yazid is seen at an oil field.

Vritnney with her parents.

Christine with her award.

FOR three Sabahan youths, May 15, 2017, was a day like no other.

Two hours before midnight, Vritnney Suzie John was about to go to bed when she decided to check her email for a message that would hold the key to her future.

The 18-year-old SPM school leaver from Kampung Borombon, Kiulu, had been anxiously wondering whether she had managed to convince evaluators during the selection process for the Petronas Education Sponsorship Programme (PESP) in April.

“As if by cue, moments after I logged on, an email from Petronas came, offering me an education sponsorship. I felt a rush of excitement; I wanted to break the news to my parents there and then but they were already asleep,” said the former SMK Tamparuli student.

Across the South China Sea, going to bed was not yet on the mind of Christine Chong Tze Ching, 20, a 2015 PESP recipient.

Christine was in the thick of studying for her final A-Level examination in her hostel room at Kolej Tuanku Jaafar, Negeri Sembilan.

“I’ll be completing my A-Level this month (June) and if I meet (the conditions of) my offer, I’ll be going to the United Kingdom (UK) in September,” she said.

Halfway around the globe in Colorado, the United States, Mohd Yazid Farhan Osman had long awoken as it was 8am.

As Vritnney received news about her sponsorship, and Christine was burning the midnight oil, Yazid was in a hall along with other Colorado School of Mines students for their end-of-semester examination.

Their ages, locations and time zones were different, and they had never crossed paths, but they shared one thing in common—a passion to succeed and make good the opportunities that have come their way through PESP.

Vritnney has an offer to pursue Petroleum Geoscience at Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) in Teronoh, Perak.

“I’m excited. This scholarship is exactly what I aimed for. This is what all the struggles were for,” she said.

Yazid recalled feeling the same rush of emotion in 2013 when he received a sponsorship offer to pursue Petroleum Engineering in the US.

“I was ecstatic about it. It’s always my dream to become an engineer,” he said. “During my secondary school years, I fell in love with science- and mathematics-based subjects as they challenged my mind in a way that I enjoyed very much. So the next step for me was to take up engineering.”

As for Christine, who is from Kepayan, the opportunity to take up law in the UK under the Petronas sponsorship is a dream come true. “When I was in Form 5, I really wanted to study law in the UK. So that was wow!”

 

From shy girl to high achiever

Beaming with confidence, Vritnney walked the stage on June 11 to receive her education sponsorship in Kota Kinabalu from Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, who represented Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman.

Vritnney, who was among 34 PESP recipients from Sabah this year, said she used to be an extremely shy person.

“I seldom talked to others, and I rarely made attempts to meet my teachers to discuss about my studies,” she said.

That changed when she joined 19 SMK Tamparuli students to compete in Petronas’ All About Youth (AAY) programme in 2015.

Vritnney said the programme helped improve her social and critical thinking skills.

“It gave me a lot of exposure. It pushed me to engage with the surrounding communities, to work with other team members, present project ideas to the sponsors and teachers, and learn about what it takes to be a winner,” she said.

Petronas AAY is a corporate social responsibility competition to nurture students’ talents and leadership skills through project implementation in the areas of education, community wellbeing, and environment.

SMK Tamparuli’s project — a flood alert system at the Tamparuli Bridge — emerged the national champion in 2015.

Vritnne said she also learned about communication strategies and crafted news releases for the team.

“During that process, I consulted often with my teachers, something that I rarely did before,” she said, adding the experience of the AAY competition helped her compose herself during the interview for the education sponsorship.

“If it had not been for the exposure I got from AAY, I would still be the same shy person I once was,” said Vritnney, the second of four siblings.

 

Law of determination

Christine’s journey is paved with many tales of determination. “It was a lot of study and hard work,” she said.

“When I was in school, I really wanted to study law and to do it in the UK. I knew my parents would not be able to afford the cost of my studies, so I had to study hard for a scholarship … which I did,” said Christine.

She attributed her success to her family’s support and encouragement from her teachers as well as her own will to succeed.

“The drive to succeed goes beyond studying law and going to the UK; it’s also about giving back. In the future, I want to provide for my father. He raised me, so I really want to give back to him. I could also be a source of encouragement to my younger siblings, for them to follow my footsteps,” said Christine, the eldest of four siblings.

Christine, who has never travelled abroad, vows to stay true to her virtues and morals in facing a melting pot of cultures when the time comes.

“I believe in cultural adaptation. I would have to adapt to the surroundings, but I’ll still be rooted to who I truly am as a Malaysian,” said Christine, who has a deep interest in literature and extreme sports such as hiking and bungee jumping.

 

A journey far and wide

For Yazid, his journey has been far and wide not just in terms of distance and places but also in the depth of his understanding about people of different cultures.

The second year student said his experience so far has taught him a lot about the virtues of adaptability and the importance of connecting with others.

“I would say try to get outside of your comfort zone, try to break barriers with people, and generally be nice to people because we never know when we’re going to need them,” he said.

He added that during the course of his studies, Petronas has been in regular contact with him and other sponsored students.

“On an annual basis, Petronas will send its officers to engage with students from all around the US. These officers are like family to us. We even call them abang, or kakak. We can share everything with them and they are always there to help,” Yazid said.

In March, Yazid and about 70 other Petronas-sponsored students gathered in Houston, Texas, for an engagement session with Petronas president and group CEO Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin.

“To get to meet the president of Petronas in person was a nice experience,” said Yazid.

He is actively involved in a number of programmes either the ones organised by his campus or by the Malaysian Students Association, of which he is a member.

“We would organise gatherings where we meet and cook Malaysian food. Being here in the US we tend to become a very good cook. I also participate in the university’s international night where students from all over the world showcase their countries’ cultures,” he said.

“Nevertheless, I miss mum’s cooking. Nothing beats her noodle curry.”

Irrespective of one’s background, Yazid said, it is important to have a goal and to strive to achieve it.

“That’s why I’m here. I want to become part of Petronas and one day contribute to Sabah. That’s my goal.”

To other aspiring students, Yazid said, “Put your education first, and don’t forget your roots. Don’t forget your parents and where you come from.”

 

Driven to succeed

Vritnney, Christine and Yazid’s stories are the embodiment of many other stories of grit and determination shown by Sabahan students, past and present, whose remarkable drive for success have now been duly recognised through the PESP.

These are deserving students, many of whom are from humble beginnings. Many of them have now graduated and are carving a niche of their own in their career with Petronas.

Petronas has so far sponsored 372 Sabahan students to pursue tertiary studies in the field of petroleum engineering, mechanical engineering, geophysics, finance, law, and other industry-related courses at Universiti Teknologi Petronas as well as selected universities in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Under PESP, Petronas will support the students beginning from foundation studies up to the completion of their first bachelor’s degree.