IPOH: Susherrie Suki has created history as the first Orang Asli to graduate with first-class honours from the pretigious University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom, and she hopes her success will become an inspiration to others in her community.
The 23-year-old Ipoh lass, who received a Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning and Real Estate from UCL's Bartlett School of Planning, said she was confident there would be more success stories from the Orang Asli soon.
"I am honoured to be the first Orang Asli from the Semai tribe to step foot inside UCL and the first to graduate with a first-class honours degree.
"I am incredibly grateful for all the wishes from everyone in Malaysia. I hope this could be an inspirational story for my community and I am confident there will be more success stories in the near future," she said in a post on her LinkedIn account.
She added that she had never imagined herself enrolling in UCL, much less going to study abroad, 10,000km away from her home here.
"From a little Ipoh girl to UCL student, I finally graduated with first-class honours in urban planning and real estate after spending three years at the Bartlett School of Planning.
"I like to express my gratitude to my family and friends for their incredible support throughout my studies and life," she said.
She added that there was nothing more intimidating than living alone in a foreign country without knowing a single soul.
"There was so much googling involved, such as trying to figure out career choices, how to cook, how to pay bills, how to sign a contract without getting scammed, navigating through friendship and faith.
"My family will always be there virtually in a group chat if there is anything that I needed help with or when cheering me up," she said.
Susherrie expressed gratitude to Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) for sponsoring her studies, as well as to her teachers at the Kolej Mara Seremban (KMS) in Negri Sembilan.
"I would not be where I am today without their support. They have been exceptionally supportive since I began studying in KMS, especially all the teachers there, and continuing throughout my undergraduate studies at UCL.
"I am currently applying for another year of sponsorship through Mara's Graduate Excellence Programme (GREP) to do my masters," she said.
For this academic year, Susherrie said she would be pursuing a masters in urban design and city planning at UCL.
"I am very excited to see what the future holds for me," she said.
Yesterday, the Orang Asli Students Association (PMOA) tweeted that Susherrie was the first Orang Asli graduate to be awarded a first-class degree from UCL, a world-class university that is ranked at No.8 globally by the QS World University Rankings 2023 and fourth in the UK.
Susherrie received a scholarship from Mara under the Young Talent Programme to pursue her studies abroad after scoring 10As in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.
PMOA added that Sherrie's parents were both Orang Asli from the Semai tribe in Kampung Orang Asli Chinggung in Behrang Ulu, Tanjung Malim, and Kampung Orang Asli Ulu Geruntum in Gopeng here.
She is fluent in English, Mandarin and Bahasa Melayu, and is very active in various activities both in and off-campus.
She is a member of the Perak Orang Asli Association and PMOA, besides serving as the publicity bureau chief of the Bartlett Urban Planning Society in her university and a member of the United Kingdom's Royal Town Planning Institute.