(Standing, from left) Fadhlina, Cheah and Raja Zarith Sofiah posing for a group photo with student ambassadors after the JCF Scholarships and Awards Ceremony 2023. — Photos: KAMARUL ARIFFIN/The Star
Foundation presents RM52mil in scholarships to nearly 5,000 deserving students
COLLEGE student Durga Dewi Dorairaja has been enjoying her time at Sunway College, as she finds the quality of lecturers good, student life vibrant and support system helpful.
“It is a dream come true to be able to study at a prestigious institution like this.
“I’m studying for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification as I enjoy this field.
“Being at Sunway College has allowed me to explore many things related to education and student life, such as volunteering to teach refugee children,” said Durga Dewi, 19.
The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF) Community Scholarship recipient was one of the students who received their award at the JCF Scholarships and Awards Ceremony 2023.
Some RM52mil in scholarships were disbursed to nearly 5,000 deserving students this year, bringing the total amount of scholarships and grants awarded to RM670mil to date.
Royal guest of honour Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah and JCF founder and trustee Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah presented the scholarships to some of the recipients at Sunway College, Bandar Sunway, Selangor.
Raja Zarith Sofiah presenting Dylan a certificate for the Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali Scholarship for Creative Arts and Music.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay also attended the ceremony.
Durga Dewi said she got a non-governmental organisation’s help to apply for the scholarship, which would help cover the 3.5 years required for her ACCA foundation and qualification.
“My father works as a crew member at a fast food outlet while my mother passed away due to a heart attack this year.
“I hope to be able to get a job in one of the established accounting firms when I start working and support my father after that, as he will be retiring in a few years’ time,” she said.
For Dylan Lai Jun-Yi, 20, a scholarship will allow him to pursue his passion for music.
The Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali Scholarship for Creative Arts and Music recipient will be pursuing a Music Performance degree at Sunway University.
“I’ve enjoyed music from a young age, as I believe music sends a powerful message.
Durga Dewi, 19, showing her scholarship certificate to father Dorairaja Perumal, 59, after the ceremony.
“I started learning the piano when I was eight, then picked up the violin three years later,” said Dylan, who has completed Grade 8 in violin and Grade 5 in piano.
“After I complete my three-year degree here, I hope to pursue my masters abroad.”
Dylan also hopes to teach music to children, and dreams of conducting an orchestra and putting on solo shows with the violin and viola in future.
In his speech, Cheah stressed that he believed education offered the best way out of poverty.
On how education advances nation building, he said, “When you want to build a nation, what is most important is human capital.
“To have a well educated human capital, we need good education. So quality education with the right values is one of the key things that we must have to train the young.”
The Sunway Group founder and chairman said it was his goal to award several billion ringgit worth of scholarships in his lifetime.
“I also aspire to one day make Sunway University known as the Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge or MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) of the East.
“These are the four top universities in the world.
“We have forged partnerships with these institutions as I have always aspired to work with the best and learn from the best.
“It took time to cultivate partnerships with them, but they now recognise that we can contribute as much as they can and we can all learn from each other.”
Cheah added that he planned to establish an endowment fund to ensure Sunway University’s survival in perpetuity, and hoped to inspire other people who could afford it to give back to society in an impactful way.
