M’sian Girl Went From Being Bullied for Selling Burgers With Her Mum to New York’s Columbia University!

Imagine going from being bullied for being the kid of a burger seller to living your dream at an Ivy League University in New York City!

That’s the reality for a brilliant Malaysian who worked her butt off to get to where she is today.

Azida Azmi (@gniwoem) took to her TikTok account to share her journey as she went from her home in Selangor to Columbia University in New York, the United States (USA).

She wrote, “From Selayang to New York. The story of anak penjual burger (a burger seller’s kid). I never thought this day would come. I’ve always thought I’d just sell burgers with my mum. I worked really, really hard to be where I am today. All that hard work, so that none of my family members ever have to become immigrants ever again.”

“My parents never made it to high school, so I pursued this dream on their behalf. I wanted to cry more but I couldn’t. I knew that it would destroy me mentally if I kept the lonely feeling around. I did everything on my own, put on a thick face through all the challenges.”

Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Azida explained that her mother is an immigrant from Indonesia, which is why she mentioned not wanting her family members to become immigrants ever again in her post.

“My mother is an immigrant, she came to Malaysia as a teenager because she had to support her family. She married my dad a few years later and had me. She’s now a PR (Permanent Resident) holder,” she said.

She went on to share her feelings about being not only chosen to study at Columbia University but also a recipient of the Merit Fellowship Award that will fund her Fall 2023 tuition.

“Even until now, everything feels surreal. Aside from being a first-generation college student in the family, I am actually the first person in my village back in Indonesia to pursue higher education, so it really does take a whole village to get me to where I am today,”

“I still have a long way to go, but it feels nice to take this space in academia. I used to constantly feel like I do not deserve to take space anywhere, but now I think that taking space is absolutely necessary for me if I want to break the cycle of intergenerational inequality in my family,” she added.

You can check out her insanely inspirational journey here: 

@gniwoem

From UiTM to Columbia 😀 Worked hard to climb my way up, but even now, it still feels a bit blurry. But that’s okay, I’ll just keep going. I have always been someone who is scared of taking space, unsure if I have the capacity of building my own table. But then again, I don’t really have a choice, I have to shamelessly make room for myself in spaces where I’m not welcomed, because I have a family to take care of 🙂 My Columbia journey begins 😀 #fyp #uitm #columbiauniversity #postgraduate #studentlife

♬ Scott street x i know the end – shiddyyy’s gf

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Also read: Melaka Boy Mocked By Peers as Parents are Sanitation Workers, Now Studies in France