Esther Michael and her family had made it deeply rooted in them from generations before to encourage one another to take up formal education. Today, she pursues her passion by advocating for students throughout Sarawak.
Geologist’s mission to break educational barriers
Despite coming from a mixed heritage of minority tribes in Sarawak — Sebup from Long Luyang, Tinjar Baram, and Lun Bawang from Lawas — Esther Michael had no qualms about growing up successful.
Though many in the village found no reason for obtaining formal education, Esther and her family had believed for generations that they could accomplish more by attending school.
“When my ukun laki (grandfather) was chieftain of the village 60 years ago, a British Missionary advised him to ensure that his children received formal education. However, doing so meant sending his children away from their safety and comfort into unknown territory, which was a 12-hour boat ride away. Though 60 years have passed, and my ukun is no longer with us, the effect of his one decision still ripples to this day.”
Even though her grandfather did not come from an educated background, he believed that through education, his children would learn to count so they would be able to avoid being swindled by traders when selling paddy — the product of their hard labour.
According to Esther, her father was sent to St Mark Marudi School. However, he found that there was nowhere to stay, so he had to take shelter at abandoned factories and sleep in wheelbarrows, or at times, befriend strangers in the hope that they would be willing to let him stay with them.
“Later, my ukun went to Kampung Dagang in Marudi to find out whether anyone would be willing to provide shelter and food for his son, knocking on doors with only a bag of rice and foraged meat as a token of gratitude. Eventually, a Muslim family with their own children welcomed him and treated my father as their own.”
Esther’s father had managed to enrol in a teaching college and eventually become the first Sebup to graduate. To her, her grandfather’s and father’s determination has led her to where she is today.
“My father was adamant and strict about his children getting a formal education.”
Esther now works as a petroleum geologist with 18 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. She is also a mother of three boys. In addition to her life at work and at home, she also does community volunteering work, encouraging younger generations of her minority tribe to go above and beyond.
She also said that she and her sister have been volunteering to give talks at several schools in Miri since 2018.
“We believe in giving back to the people by sharing opportunities, knowledge, possibilities, and hope — hopefully, we can inspire people out there to aim higher; to break the generational poverty/break free from the chains of poverty.
“On several occasions, a few students emotionally hugged us after the session. They said that no one had ever come to them, talked to them, and that they had considered dropping out of school. However, because we shared our experiences, they opted to continue their education and do their best. Some even said that their parents don’t support their ambition because it’s a ‘job for men’, and also because the university offered was far away from home,” said the 41-year-old.
Making a change through pageantry
Though it can be tough at times, Esther believed that by encouraging more people to get an education, more people will be able to provide for their families while also being able to sufficiently care for themselves in terms of food, clean water, electricity, medical care, and other necessities.
She realised that in order to build soldiers for the future, she only needed to touch one person in order to change their entire generation.
Esther recently won the title of Mrs Queen of the World Malaysia, and she will represent the country on the international stage in New York next April.
Though she was initially reluctant to participate, she realised that it could serve as a platform for her advocacy — to raise awareness of the importance of education while preserving their own culture and identity.
“I truly believe that in order to inspire someone else, we must first inspire ourselves, and that achievement will only serve to strengthen and further our conviction. Hopefully, through this Queen of the World platform, we will be able to work together with other organisations to help those in need.”
Esther hopes to be able to carry out more outreach programmes by visiting more schools or villages to offer inspiration, guidance, and encouragement to everyone she meets.
“All of these approaches are done with the sole objective of encouraging people to consider changing their mindset; to be open to new possibilities in both education and life.”
While gearing up to go on the rig for her duties as a geologist, Esther envisions growing her initiative to a bigger scale, with more frequent outreach.
The Sebup lass also hopes to attract more like-minded, inspiring individuals, as well as the involvement of both governmental and non-governmental agencies.
Follow her updates on Facebook and Instagram at “Esther Michael” as she prepares the present for a brighter future.
