KUCHING: “If I have the opportunity to work for Petronas at the Petronas Twin Towers someday, I will bring my parents to live with me in Kuala Lumpur so that they don’t have to sell laksa anymore,” said 18-year-old Jasmine Kuek Ern Yee.
Determined to change her family’s fortune, the Kuching-born lass studied hard and scored 10As in the recent Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination. She is one of the proud recipients of this year’s Petronas Education Sponsorship Programme (PESP).
Jasmine said, “I do not come from a rich family. Both my parents are hawkers with a monthly gross income of RM2,500. My dad has underlying medical conditions including diabetes and gout. He even had a heart surgery 17 years ago after I was born.
Jasmine Kuek Ern Yee proudly presents her PESP certificate to her parents “My parents struggled to pay my school fees and after my SPM, they said they cannot support me to pursue my tertiary education. That had gotten me worried, so I was so relieved to get Petronas’ sponsorship for my studies until I graduate,” she added.
The former Science stream student from Kuching High School loves mathematics and anything related to numbers. She found her passion in accounting after she borrowed and read books on the subject from her friend.
So, it was only natural that Jasmine enrolled into an accounting post-SPM and was selected to further studies at Sunway College. She will be pursuing her degree at Sunway University.
For Louisa Susana Jimmy from Sibu, who will be pursuing her foundation programme at Universiti Malaya, the PESP has enabled her to pursue her dream to become an accountant.
Louisa Susana Jimmy (left) pursuing her foundation programme at Universiti Malaya under Petronas sponsorship
Her mother, Upon Gerinang, 54, is a single parent who works as a farmer.“I come from a poor family.
My mother’s struggle and sacrifices to raise me and my siblings gave me the extra motivation to excel in my studies,” said Louisa who is the youngest of four siblings.
Because of her hard work and good academic performance, Louisa was able to continue her secondary school under a government scholarship. As a PESP recipient, she will now be able to continue her degree in accountancy. “The PESP will cover my university expenses and help to develop my leadership skills through its various student development programmes. After I graduate, I hope to work for Petronas and build my career.”
“If I must rely on my mom’s income alone to support my study, I don’t think I would be able to fulfill my dreams because I know she could never afford to pay for my tuition fees. That is why I study hard and did my best during the interview to get Petronas’ sponsorship,” she said.
Jasmine and Louisa were among the 600 selected recipients of PESP this year. This is the highest number of sponsorships awarded in a year by Petronas, with an investment value of more than RM340 million. It covers tuition fees, book and study equipment allowance as well as onboarding allowance for all students.
Since PESP was introduced in 1975, Petronas have invested more than RM3.5 billion to sponsor more than 37,000 outstanding Malaysian students to pursue tertiary education locally and overseas. The education sponsorship program is part of Petronas’s strategic initiative to support the nation’s human capital development.
