Sabahan student makes final 10 list for Global Student Prize

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Alesyah was picked from among 50 Sabahan youths to receive Special National Day Award for making Sabah proud worldwide.

KOTA KINABALU (Sept 1): Sabahan student Alesyah Asa has been named a top 10 finalist for the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2022, a $100,000 (RM448,400) award to be given to one exceptional student that has made a real impact on learning, the lives of their peers and on society beyond.

The 20-year-old student born and brought up in Nabawan village, currently studying construction technology at Keningau Vocational College, was selected from over 7,000 nominations and applications from 150 countries around the world.

The Varkey Foundation partnered with Chegg.org to launch the Global Student Prize last year, a sister award to its $1 million Global Teacher Prize. It was established to create a powerful new platform that shines a light on the efforts of extraordinary students everywhere who, together, are reshaping our world for the better.

The prize is open to all students who are at least 16 years old and enrolled in an academic institution or training and skills program. Part-time students as well as students enrolled in online courses are also eligible for the prize.

Alesyah has led a number of school initiatives focusing on vocational students and special needs learners.

Her mission is to inspire women to excel in traditionally male-dominated, vocational fields.

As one of the few female students enrolled on her course, she has represented her department in several competitions and has mentored other female students to do the same. Alesyah led a STEAM project at her school which trained peers and teachers on robotics, drones, 3D printing and entrepreneurship, which was recognised by US-based Awesome Foundation, becoming the first recipient of its $1,000 STEAM Grant.

She also initiated an international exchange program between her school and several schools in South Korea.

She led an all-female school team to be awarded Community Innovation Winner at the Global Media and Information Literacy Youth Hackathon, co-organized by UNESCO and the Republic of Korea. Her team helped tackle misinformation related to Covid-19 through educating the public about fake news and hoaxes through a set of strategies that helped communities better research, analyze and evaluate information.

Through her work, Alesyah has championed women, vocational students, students from rural areas and those with disabilities in order to increase their educational opportunities.

“I did not expect to be selected as one of the top 10 finalists, but I’m very happy,” said the young Murut woman.

If she wins, Alesyah plans to use the prize money to invest in “Eureka Hub” – her science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) project which trains peers and teachers on robotics, drones, 3D printing and entrepreneurship.

She also wants to improve school infrastructure and further develop her project on tackling Covid-19 misinformation.

She added that she would conduct programmes to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education to her community if she wins the prize money.

On Wednesday, she received a Special National Day Award by the Sabah state government in conjunction with the state-level National Day celebrations here.

The special National Day Awards was introduced by the state government this year for Sabahans who excelled at the international level.

Alesyah was picked from among 50 Sabahan youths who made Sabah proud worldwide.

Dan Rosensweig, CEO and president of Chegg, said:
“Since its launch last year, the Global Student Prize has given incredible students all over the world a chance to share their stories, connect with each other, and reach influencers in education and beyond. Now, more than ever, students like Alesyah deserve to have their stories told and have their voices heard. After all, we need to harness their dreams, their insights, and their creativity to tackle the daunting and urgent challenges facing our world.”

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation, said:
“I extend my warmest congratulations to Alesyah. Her story is a testament to the crucial role that education plays in building a better tomorrow for us all. It is the key to solving humanity’s greatest challenges, from war and conflict to climate change to growing inequality. As time runs out to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, it is more important than ever to prioritize education so we can face the future with confidence.”

The other top 10 finalists for the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2022 are Anagha Rajesh, from India; Gitanjali Rao, from the US; Igor Klymenko, from Ukraine; Kenisha Arora, from Canada; Lucas Tejedor, from Brazil; Mathias Charles Yabe, from Ghana; Maya Bridgman, from the UAE; Nathan Nguyen, from Australia; and Nicolás Alberto Monzón, from Argentina.

The winner is expected to be announced later this month during UN General Assembly week in New York.

Applications and nominations for this year’s Global Student Prize opened on Thursday 27 January and closed on Sunday 1 May. Students are being assessed on their academic achievement, impact on their peers, how they make a difference in their community and beyond, how they overcome the odds to achieve, how they demonstrate creativity and innovation, and how they operate as global citizens.

Actor and humanitarian Hugh Jackman announced last year’s winner, Jeremiah Thoronka, in November 2021.

Jeremiah, a 21-year-old student from Sierra Leone, launched a start-up called Optim Energy that transforms vibrations from vehicles and pedestrian footfall on roads into an electric current. With just two devices, the start-up provided free electricity to 150 households comprising around 1,500 citizens, as well as 15 schools where more than 9,000 students attend.

If students were nominated, the person nominating them was asked to write a brief description online explaining why. The student being nominated was then sent an email inviting them to apply for the prize. Applicants were able to apply in English, Mandarin, Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. To join the conversation online follow @cheggdotorg