Deepa Chandrika A/P Parathy Thazan

“As a family of five, we lived in a longhouse community in Pantai Dalam. My dad is a man with disability (OKU) and my mum was the only breadwinner of the family. Being the eldest, I was raised to be independent and took on the responsibility to take care of my siblings. I still remember my parents could not afford for my tuition but they would spend time every evening teaching me to read and write. When I was 15-years old, I used to bake cakes and venture into other small things such as making bookmarks to sell as the income was helpful. I enjoyed the environment, talking and making sales, planning my start-up and so on. That is when I realised I want to be an entrepreneur.

#MySunwayStory began through Pastor Esther from Malaysian Care. She told me about the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation Community Scholarship in Sunway University and I was elated to find out that there were business courses available. I was offered the Scholarship for the Diploma in Business Administration and subsequently a Degree in Business Management. Being the first in my family to be able to pursue higher education was truly an honour and blessing. I cannot describe how it felt to see the smiles on my parents’ faces as I held my Diploma scroll. This would not have been possible without the scholarship.

As for new scholars, I just hope you would not waste the opportunity you have at hand. Use it wisely and to the fullest. You will experience what education can do in your life. It will be as a breath of fresh air and enable you to grow in the right path.”

Deepa Chandrika A/P Parathy Thazan
Diploma in Business Administration / BSc(Hons) in Business Management
Jeffrey Cheah Foundation Community Scholarship