Hamraa Zuhdi Hisham

Hi, I am Hamraa Hisham from Putrajaya, and this is #MySunwayStory! Being the eldest of five, sometimes I am also a part-time mother for my siblings, haha. Besides being a business student, I am also a director for I-WELD, a youth-led nonprofit organisation!

Growing up, I was and still am very blessed to have an amazing and supportive family such as mine; my parents are literally my best friends! Since I was young, my parents would always sign me up for extracurricular classes to hone my physical and interpersonal skills. I vividly remember attending my karate class straight after swimming lessons, with water still in my eardrums, haha. In addition, whenever we travelled, my parents would constantly encourage my sister and me to write an essay about our experiences! In retrospect, having a lawyer mom and an accountant dad may have influenced my decision to pursue business at Victoria University. But, nonetheless, without my extraordinary parents' efforts, I would not be who and where I am now.

Alhamdulillah, I am very fortunate to have faced minimal obstacles in achieving my goals or dreams. I managed to enter a great boarding school for my high school studies, and I am eternally grateful for the environment, teachers, friends, and MARA system for helping me obtain an excellent grade for my SPM; this would eventually allow me to secure The Star Scholarship for my A-level studies. However, sometimes life just likes to throw an odd curveball into our lives.

My mom suddenly got a stroke during my A-levels and had to be hospitalised for three months; even after checking out, she still needed monthly check-ups. What's worse still, my dad has been permanently situated in Saudi Arabia due to his job. Hence, it was suddenly left to me to take care of my siblings and mom. It was an absolute struggle for someone who had just turned 18 to shoulder all these sudden responsibilities. As a result, my academic results also suffered. Being a scholarship holder, I was incredibly terrified of losing it. Thankfully, The Star Scholarship team, especially Ms. Susanna Kwan, were incredibly considerate and understanding. As a result, together with my family's boundless love and support, they provided me the strength to bounce back and push forward.

I still remember how I was scrolling through StudyMalaysia.com and found an advertisement for the scholarship. With nothing to lose, I decided to give it a try. I never once thought I could secure the scholarship, but I did! Being one of only two scholarship recipients selected for Victoria University in my college, words could not describe my elation upon hearing the news! Honestly, this scholarship has acted as a bridge for me to become closer to my ultimate goal of becoming successful and helping the Malaysian community. Furthermore, this scholarship has bestowed me with the freedom to focus on my studies and extracurricular activities. Without this scholarship, I can imagine my career path would have been completely different. So, a billion thank you to The Star Scholarship for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

My best moments in Sunway would definitely have to be the opportunity to be a part of the Victoria University (VU) management team in assisting the VU students in having a great learning experience during their time here at VU. One of the initiatives that we had come up with was the Scholarship Student Manual. Another memorable moment would be when I was in charge of a talk session for the SCSC (Sunway CPA Student Charter). My team and I secured nearly 200 active participants, the highest ever for such an event! Overall, every moment that I spent with my lecturers, friends, scholarship team, VU, and SCSC team are all unforgettable memories in Sunway that I dearly treasure.

Before ending my story, I would just like to take this opportunity to thank The Star Scholarship for paving the way toward my goals. To all the readers, if you're ever feeling lost or overwhelmed, just remember that you're doing great! Take a deep breath, cry, let it all out, and bounce back when you're ready with even more vigour! Improvement doesn't happen suddenly but rather through gradual steps, so take your time and enjoy the process! The setbacks should not hinder us from achieving what we truly want. Finally, grab whatever opportunities are available and make as many connections as possible. Trust me, your future self will thank you profusely.

Hamraa Zuhdi Hisham Zuhdi
Bbns (VU) accounting + banking and finance
The Star Scholarship