KUALA LUMPUR: Hard work pays off. And it certainly did for Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) graduate, Dr. Nurul Hana Zainal Baharin, who persisted with various part-time work to earn the necessary tuition fees for her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.
In a statement today (November 30), UPM announced that the 32-year-old graduate diligently baked brownies every day to earn an income while pursuing a full-time PhD degree in Medical Microbiology.
"The aroma of brownies was my constant companion while reading journals, and preparing research papers and dissertations. Usually, I will be in the kitchen by 8pm after finishing my job as a primary and secondary school tuition teacher.
"There are times I baked brownies until 3am, especially when there are a lot of orders. My oven is not big, it has only five trays. Sometimes I don't sleep in order to prepare the orders," Dr. Nurul Hana was quoted as saying in the statement.
Dr Nurul Hana was among the graduates at the 47th UPM Convocation Ceremony which was held on November 25 until today (November 30).
Dr. Hana sold more than 3,000 brownies throughout her four-year Ph.D. studies, earning between RM1,000 to RM2,000 per month by selling them online.
In addition to selling brownies, the Kluang native from Johor also took on other work including proofreading, helping her sister-in-law with surprise gift deliveries, and being a tuition teacher.
"I am also a part-time lecturer during the weekend for long distance education students at the Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam," she said. — Bernama