Born and raised in Malaysia, I started studying science at the age of 10 and was absolutely fascinated by astronomy. When I was 12, I read a book on the solar system to prepare for an Astronomy Quiz. I was like a small child reading fairy tales - I was amazed by how the universe was formed, why there are bodies of different masses in the galaxy and how the first organisms came into existence.
From the ages of 13 to 17, I went to a science boarding school in Malaysia where I further developed my interest and curiosity for scientific discoveries. My dream of being an astronomer did not falter until I started learning about Mendel at the age of 16. From this moment, my interest slowly shifted from the massive planets of the galaxy to the minute details of DNA. The sole fact that something as small as DNA could affect the entire population of the world overwhelmed me and inspired me to think that perhaps even as an individual, I could have a positive influence on the whole world. Also, I’ve always enjoyed learning about science that is related to my daily life, because it interests me deeply and I can understand the concepts when I see them embodied in everything around me.
In my final year of high school, I had to decide on a course for my scholarship application. My father wanted me to become a doctor. On the other hand, I really wanted to pursue biotechnology. My father passed away at the end of my final year, leaving me with a dilemma between the career he had hoped I would pursue and my own passion. The pressure built up even more when I was offered two scholarships to study abroad, one for medicine and the other for biotechnology. Knowing that the decision I made would affect the rest of my life, I had to carefully consider the options presented to me. It was at this point that my cousin, who is also my most influential role model, gave me some very good advice – he told me that I should do what I really wanted to do and whatever .jpg)
choice I made would be the right choice as long as I did not look back with regret. With this guidance in mind, I chose to do Biotechnology in University of Nottingham, UK. I really enjoyed it and have no regrets. I am very certain that my late father too, will be happy for me and know that I will always make him proud in whatever I do.
Living in a multicultural community in Malaysia and having a multiracial family background, I was very fortunate to be surrounded by different languages such as Malay, English and Cantonese throughout my upbringing. Foreign language was also a requirement for the science school I attended. To add to the languages I already knew, I chose German and learnt it for four years. After graduating from high school, my cousin sent me to Vajiravudh College in Bangkok to learn Thai for 2 months in order to gain a deeper understanding of my family history, as they had come to Malaysia from Thailand. As the first foreign student admitted to the school since its establishment in 1910, I was really honored to be given the opportunity to deliver a speech in Thai in front of the whole school as a token of gratitude. My interest in learning languages did not end there and I took up Spanish for two years at the University of Nottingham as my elective.
I believe there is a mentor or role model of some sort behind every science student. For me, my first mentor was my high school biology teacher. In high school, I was not very good at biology since my main interest was still astronomy. My biology teacher, Mrs Ranti Sakiman, was a very motherly figure to me and she was extremely disappointed when I was 3 points away from failing my biology final exams. I made a promise to myself not to disappoint anyone who had hopes in me and the following year – my final year of school - I started to study very hard for biology. Then biology became one of my strongest subjects and changed my goal from being an astronomer to the biotechnologist that I am now.
My cousin, Dato’ Latt Shariman Abdullah, has also played an important part in my life. He has been a role model to me and I am grateful to him for helping me to choose between medicine and biotechnology and sending me to Thailand to learn more about our family heritage. He has guided me throughout my high school life until this very day and shared his wisdom to help me keep improving in every aspect.
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Life in New YorkThe Biotechnology M.A. program at Columbia University was in my mind during my final year at the University of Nottingham and I was thrilled when I received an offer. Through the Biotechnology program I am learning insights into the industrial aspects of biotechnology, such as the processes involved in drug discovery and development. This complements the research skills I had the opportunity to acquire while undertaking my final year research project (in mathematical modeling of adipose tissue metabolism) at the University of Nottingham. The MA program has given me enough exposure and knowledge to decide that I am most interested in becoming an entrepreneurial scientist instead of a researcher.
I have learnt a lot about myself in this extremely challenging city. The diversity, intensity and determination of the people here are inspirations to me. In particular, I have met an artistic and eloquent individual who is now a treasured friend, Lee Dong Eun. He has taught me to take pride in my scientific background and linguistic abilities more than I have ever done before. He has also inspired me to take up another language here at Columbia University, which is Korean. Besides that, I have also learnt to identify my goals more clearly and work towards them with the help of a very focused and ambitious friend here in New York, Mina Lee. Finally, I have had the pleasure of getting to know Shruti. Since meeting on the first day of our orientation to the M.A. Biotechnology program at Columbia University, we've become good friends, spending together in class or with other classmates at casual brunches and intense group study sessions. I can relate to her experience of coming to a foreign country to study for the first time as I did for my undergraduate studies in the UK. Despite her easy-going personality, I'll always know her as a committed, hard-working student who never misses a class. The biotechnology program has been a valuable experience and I am looking forward to graduating this coming October and finding a challenging and exciting job.
