Being mocked by his peers as his mother is a cleaner and his father is a garbage truck driver only fueled this boy’s spirit to succeed as he managed to achieve his dream to further his studies at the Université Toulouse 3-Paul Sabatier in France.
Based on a report by Kosmo, 21-year-old Jeffry Rais Jamaludin, from Melaka, was offered a sponsorship from the Majlis Amanah Raya (Mara) to study abroad after he had obtained 9As in his SPM examinations in 2019, and is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering.
While he has yet to complete his studies, he sees the opportunity he has been given as an achievement especially after he was looked down upon by his peers for his home life.
“I studied hard to prove to my peers and community that individuals born to simple families are also capable of success. I remember being teased by my friends in primary school, they said my mother was a garbage cleaner and my father drove a garbage truck, and following that, I was determined to get excellent results in every exam,” he said.
Additionally, he shared how he remains savvy with his money while in a foreign country, so as to not have to ask his family for funds.
“I only eat out once a month, the rest of the time I cook at home following recipes on YouTube and sometimes I’d call my mother. The scholarship money I received, I saved. If my friends invite me somewhere in the summer, I will use that money, so that I do not feel left out because of money issues,” he explained.
Being the 3rd one out of 4 siblings, Jeffry who is affectionately known as Jep, strived to be independent since he entered Form 1 and was admitted into a boarding school. Soon after, he accepted an offer to the Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Terendak under a sponsorship.
Jeffry’s parents have since shared how proud they are of their son.
This goes to show that just because someone is less fortunate than you, doesn’t mean they can’t make something great out of themselves.
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