Virman Juri

People would ask me, “How do you see yourself in 5 years?”. My 17-year-old self would often respond “I don’t know, the future is hazy to me.” How could I not be when I succeeded to become the 3 students who scored straight A’s in my school during SPM but my applications to public education institutions were all rejected. I felt devastated, lost and frustrated. The future and dreams to go to university and attain a degree seemed unobtainable. I am a firm believer that to break the cycle of poverty that looms over my family could only be remedied through education. However, realising I had almost no chance to pursue further education at that time was a pill that was hard for me to swallow.
 
My mother is an Indonesian who migrated to Malaysia in search of a better life. The first week that I was born here, my father had abandoned me to my mother. So, growing up, I never had a father figure and just like that, my mother became the breadwinner of our family. It’s tragic how she came to Malaysia to improve our livelihood but we still found ourselves challenged with a low socioeconomic background and struggled to make ends meet. Realising this, I knew I should not be burdening her to pay for my further studies. If I wanted to continue studying, it had to be on my own terms and I had to work for it. Thus, I decided to be independent and took a gap year after SPM to work so that I can have some savings to fund my education.
 
The biggest turning point of my life was when I became a mentee of Closing The Gap (CTG). I was blessed with an exceptional mentor and a network of support who never ceases to give me a helping hand whenever I need it. They believed in me when I didn’t have it in me to believe in myself. Somehow that was enough and very empowering to propel me through the challenges ahead. Through CTG, I was exposed to a variety of opportunities that made me realise – I still have hope after all. Along the journey with CTG, I was introduced to the Sunway – Teach For Malaysia Scholarship and decided to apply. I was shocked, and there were tears of happiness streaming down my face when I learned that I was awarded the scholarship. This scholarship changed my entire life as I am able to actualise my dream and become the first in my family to attend university with a full scholarship.
 
When I first visited Sunway University a few years back, it etched in me right away that this is the type of university I wanted to immerse myself in. A university teeming with resources and opportunities, filled with a diverse community of people and top-notch facilities. Never would my 17-year-old self have imagined I would be studying here one day. I am forever indebted to the people in Sunway, CTG and my mentor who have supported me so that I can have a shot at a brighter future. I am truly lucky to identify myself as a Sunway-ian.
 
What I have learned from my 21 years of living is that, have dreams in life and find the burning motivation to keep you going. Throughout my life, there were moments of unspoken despair, frustration, sadness and anger. I could have strayed and not prioritised education at all given the insurmountable challenges. But what kept me on the grind was the dream that I had to improve the living of my family, and the motivation that I cultivated from people who have lifted me to be where I am right now, as the light of day to replenish my spirit when the going gets tough. At last, I am able to exhale a breath of relief as the haze is slowly clearing itself out.
 
Virman Juri
Sunway - Teach for Malaysia Scholarship
BSc (Hons) in Biomedicine