Students from SMK Siburan Win Sunway Scholarships

Students Angelina Jefary, Rozanne Jeyanti Rajendran, Moses Mc Govern Philip Johnson, Prince De Mcqueen Wheatley and Muhd Fahman Fitri Mohd Mohtar from SMK Siburan, Sarawak won themselves full scholarships to pursue further study in any one of the Pre-University programmes at Sunway College or the Sunway University American Degree Transfer Program.

The members of Funky Fresh Masters of the Universe beat five other teams in the Grand Finals of Click! 4.0. Their project addresses a critical social issue in their community - the participation of youths in illegal drag racing where many often end up injured or killed. Their initiative provides a platform for youths to spend time productively through participation in singing, dancing and the performing arts with a series of concerts where they perform for their peers and members of the community. The project drew support not only from members of their community but the police department as well.

The Grand Finals held at Sunway University had the six teams pitch their initiatives to a panel of judges. Teams from SM Islam Al Amin Kemaman, Terengganu and SMK Maran, Pahang came in second and third, prizes included partial scholarships from Sunway College and Sunway University.

“In this 21st century, you are all better connected and informed due to the digital and social revolution, and so, much hope is placed on your shoulders to be socially more responsible; for you are at the forefront of change and innovation. I believe that given the opportunity, you, our young people can be a driving force in creating positive change in our communities, nation, and probably the world. Given the space, encouragement and opportunity, you are capable of designing solutions to many daily challenges.

I see this through the many projects that have been thought up and executed through this competition and I am heartened to see, and note that most of your projects were to benefit your more deserving classmates in your school or community. Looking through your various projects, I see all of you seeking effective solutions to real problems”, said Dr Elizabeth Lee, Senior Executive Director of Sunway University and Sunway Education Group.

“It’s incredible, watching what you have accomplished. It’s incredibly impressive. We are unbelievably delighted to be part of this. There is so much potential to grow and we are impressed with what you have all done, and this is just the beginning”, said Edgard Kagan, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur who was also present at the event.

Click! 4.0 is a nationwide social entrepreneurship camp and programme targeted at 14 to 16 year old high school students. Organised by the US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, LifeChamp Sdn Bhd, the Malaysian-American Alumni Partnership (MAAP), and supported by Yayasan Khazanah, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Sunway Education Group, the programme saw the participation of more than 200 students from 400 rural and suburban schools across Malaysia.

Asides from learning the basics of social entrepreneurship, how to build a social business, improving leadership and English language skills, students in the programme were encouraged to work on projects to help solve critical social issues in their communities.

The students under the guidance of Fulbright English teaching assistants, Teach for Malaysia fellows and the Department of State exchange programme alumni, attended a three-day camp after which they were required to implement their projects in their respective communities for a period of eight-weeks.