Ethan Quek Shern Hann

“It’s not the destination that really matters, but the people that you meet along the way.” - Unknown Author
 
Hello! I’m Ethan Quek and I am a Sunway scholar that recently graduated. Growing up in Subang Jaya, my mind was always fixated on myself and I never really gave much thought about others around me or the future. That slowly changed in highschool, when I got more and more involved in clubs and societies. I realized that I really liked the aspects and interactions in a community which were then brought forward into my college and university life in Sunway. My family isn’t very well off and when it came to my turn to decide where to pursue my tertiary education, I was stuck thinking where to go. I already had a college in mind that I knew would put less of a strain on my family’s finances. Before I made the move to join, I heard of the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF) Scholarship and decided to apply for it instead, and eventually got accepted! I joined Foundation in Arts (FIA) because I was intrigued by the plethora of subjects and the opportunity to pursue a degree in Computer Science later, to which I did! Being awarded the JCF scholarship definitely helped ease the burden on my parents.
 
Moving along to life in campus, I would say the best parts of #MySunwayStory are not the academic achievements and awards aplenty, but the day to day interactions with the different and diverse communities of the university. The heaps of options overwhelmed me when I was deciding on a club to join but I eventually landed in Sunway Christian Fellowship (SCF) and later the Sunway Photography Club (SPC). The interactions with the people on campus were never dull and have always allowed me to learn something new about a topic or person. I am proud to say that I have had the pleasure of meeting people from all over the globe through these clubs, from Mauritius to Zambia and Indonesia. Knowing that I would be meeting these people that I would call friends, that have the same interest as me, have definitely helped me with coping with the challenges of academic pursuits that come on the daily. I particularly enjoyed learning and understanding the different backgrounds and cultures of both local and international students alike. Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, I am still in contact with these people and we still share, update and discuss our interests and lives with one another. Aside from all the clubs, life in university was nothing short of enjoyable. From the daily banter with friends and eating chicken rice at 7am before coming to campus and working on assignments, to staying late into the evening, studying in the college foyer and listening to life stories from friends. I really liked the multitude of facilities that campus offers, especially the library and the computer labs. My one regret is that I didn’t use them more.
 
My advice for the juniors of Sunway is to join a club! Get involved and participate in those activities! The opportunities to meet new and interesting people, amongst all of the activities, are sure to enhance your experience here in college/university. I hope that this helps encourage you to join a club and meet new people! A good place to start is the Sunway Student Volunteers or even Sunway Christian Fellowship!
 
Ethan Quek Shern Hann
Jeffrey Cheah Foundation Scholarship
BSc (Hons) in Computer Science