KOTA KINABALU: Alesyah Asa, 20, an undergraduate from Keningau Vocational College, is no ordinary student.
A go-getter and a natural leader, the construction technology student has made the country proud by earning a spot as one of the 50 finalists for the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2022.
She is the sole Malaysian finalist for the prestigious annual award for students who make a huge impact on learning, their peers and society.
"I am so excited. I did not expect to get into the top 50 out of almost 7,000 nominations and applications from 150 countries. The result was announced yesterday on the competition website.
"I hope I can make it to the top 10 and win the Global Student Prize 2022," she told the New Straits Times.
The top 10 finalists of the Global Student Prize are expected to be announced next month and the winner would be announced later in the year, she said.
"If I were to win the US$100,000 award, I will use it to invest in Eureka Hub, our science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) project which trains peers and teachers on robotics, drones, 3D printing and entrepreneurship, improve school infrastructure and further develop my project on tackling Covid-19 misinformation."
Alesyah, whose father died in 2018, is an accomplished student with remarkable contributions.
The Global Student Prize 2022 website said as a woman living in a rural, poorer area of Malaysia studying in a vocational field, Alesyah has risen above various stigmas, stereotypes, and economic hurdles to promote innovation, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and inclusivity in her school and the wider community.
She has school initiatives in STEM-related activities, focusing on vocational students and special needs learners.
Her mission is to inspire women to excel in male-dominated fields.
As one of the few female students enrolled in her course, Alesyah has represented her department in vocational competitions and has mentored female students to do the same.
Since initiating the STEAM project Eureka Hub, Alesyah has increased her community's interest in emerging technologies and entrepreneurship, more women and youth in her community are now directly involved in these areas, and the quantity of STEM-related projects developed and presented at conferences or innovation competitions has skyrocketed.
Through her determination to break down barriers for students — particularly women, vocational students, those from rural areas and those with disabilities — Alesyah has opened up opportunities for students in areas they previously have limited access to.
Because of her work, more female students represent the school in innovation contests and some of her school's special needs learners have been nationally recognised as pioneers in using sign language to present their projects in national and international competitions.
Keningau Vocational College director Johari @ Jaibet Sabin said Alesyah's achievement proved that the national education system, particularly vocational education, is effective in fostering students who are competent, creative and charismatic.
"I hope this milestone will inspire more students to push themselves to live up to their fullest potential."