Parveenn Balan Kumar A/L Devan

these are the thoughts of a boy that has fallen short from the rest of his peers in the pursuit of excellent grades and worldly possessions. The shortcoming of not meeting the expected outcome from examinations made the boy run down the riptide thus, drowning him in an abyss of despair. Whether the boy found answers to his question or what did the boy underwent is a story for yet another day.

My schooling days were over and while waiting for my SPM results, like any other typical teenager my age, I succumbed to life without many responsibilities; waking up to play sports with my friends, play video games in the afternoon and read manga before heading to the much-awaited daily slumber. #MySunwayStory begins when I attained a below-average SPM results. I wasn’t entirely disappointed with my results well knowing that I’ll end up with what’s worth the effort I invest in. From there onwards, I decided to find a scholarship to fund my higher education as I didn't want to burden my parents especially my father as he was going to lose his job soon due to his company shutting down. After much look-ups for scholarships, I found one that piqued my interest: Sunway-Teach for Malaysia Scholarship. I applied to the scholarship and I was shortlisted for the interview which I thought I would have no hope of getting the scholarship.

Miraculously, I obtained the scholarship and went on for my first day at Sunway College without much expectation, thinking that it's just going to be another year of studies. Boy, I was wrong, the moment I stepped in the orientation filled with the students ranging from those of different states to those of different nationalities, I gasped in astonishment. I thoroughly enjoyed the group discussions during my first month of college as everyone was in high spirits and the contents and the flow of the discussion was to my liking as everyone in the discussion was engaged and participative. Group projects came in, and baam, everyone was running around in circles but luckily we managed to get through the fairly new experience of having a group project. As time flew by and I got settled in the environment here, I decided to join the Sunway Student Ambassadors (SSA) Committee, just due to sheer curiosity in what they do. However, not in the least do I ever expected to find myself ending up in the Publicity and Engagement Department, but I readily accepted the offer with haste as I really wanted to join SSA and was mesmerized by the immense knowledge that I can gain and share. Now that I'm here, surrounded by a bunch of people who truly care about each other and pushing each other beyond what we are capable of initially, is definitely what I would classify as companions who are worth cherishing. The current me is a person who is looking forward to unleashing his potentials and strive together in a group, going through a journey of growth and self-actualisation, and when having reached the summit, being able to look back and smile down those salubrious memories and pitfalls along the way, fully aware that I have made it here, with the guidance from loads of people that push me down this path. Fully aware of the fact that I go down a path that is paved with the help of others, I should also help pave the ways for others, as little like a brick at a time, would give me a sense of satisfaction and purpose for my existence, even if I may or may not prove that the people around me aren't corporeal.

Parveenn Balan Kumar A/L Devan
Foundation in Science and Technology
Sunway-Teach For Malaysia Scholarship