A MARA-sponsored student is currently the center of attention for her outstanding academic performance at Arizona State University (ASU) in the United States after she reportedly scored and maintained a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.0 in all semesters during her bachelor’s degree programme. Walao!
According to ASU Now, 23-year-old Maryam Abdul Rashid is set to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability and will return to ASU for another year to complete her Masters in Sustainability Solutions.
Maryam has taken on many roles, some of which include being the ambassador for ASU’s School of Sustainability, president of the Honor Society for Sustainability, a mentor at ASU Global Guide, director of service for Alpha Kappa Psi (a professional business fraternity), a dorms community assistant, and even an intern at Think City back home in Malaysia.
Her interest in sustainability reportedly started when she was still a secondary school student. Maryam told ASU Now,
“I guess I have always wanted to study sustainability ever since high school but at that time, I did not know what sustainability meant. I had always been very active in multiple environmental efforts back home, but something did not really fit.”
“When it was time to choose my major and what country I would like to study abroad in, my options were very limited as they were mostly involved in environmental science. However, environmental science was not something I wanted to major in as I was aware that science and math were not my strongest subjects.”
According to MARA’s e-Warta portal, Maryam, who attended secondary school in Petaling Jaya, studied at INTEC Education College (INTEC) under the American Degree Foundation Programme after completing her secondary education. This was where she decided to pursue a degree in sustainability at ASU, the first institution in the United States with a school of sustainability.
She has also received numerous awards, including Community Assistant of the Year and Outstanding Graduate Award Spring 2019 from the ASU School of Sustainability.
During her time at ASU, she studied strategies adopted by the city of Los Angeles in tackling climate change and even developed a policy brief toolkit for the Mexican government to implement sustainability, resilience, transformation, and adaptation.
We cannot be more proud of our fellow Malaysian for doing such a great job. Congratulations, Maryam and all the best with pursuing your masters!
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