KOTA KINABALU: A 20-year-old student became the first to receive a Special Award in conjunction with the state-level National Day celebration here.
Keningau Vocational College construction technology student Alesyah Asa received the award for making the country proud by earning a spot as one of the 50 finalists for the Global Student Prize 2022. She was the sole Malaysian representative.
The Nabawan lass received the award from Yang Dipertua Negeri Sabah Tun Juhar Mahiruddin at Padang Merdeka.
Present were Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, state speaker Datuk Kadzim M. Yahya, state cabinet ministers and government officials.
She was chosen based on her contributions and achievement in the fields of science, technology, engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Alesyah had won the STEAM Chapter of The Awesome Foundation competition in the United States and Global Media and Information Literacy Youth Champion Hackathon organised by Unesco and South Korea.
She became a presenter of an innovation project at the International Euroasia Congress on Scientific Researches conference.
Alesyah led the student exchange delegation in South Korea, which made her the candidate for the Global Student Prize Awards.
"I am proud to be in the top 50 in the Global Student Prize Awards and now another award received on National Day.
"My advice to those who would like to venture into innovationto is stand out and be brave in pitching your creativity to mentors at schools," she said.
On Monday, the Sabah Merdeka celebration committee chairman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said this year's poetry recitation award was replaced with the special award. It showed that the state had youths who could achieve much on an international level.