KUALA LUMPUR: Former beauty queen-turned-singer and actress Soo Wincci is now officially Dr Soo Wincci.
But the 31-year-old prefers to be known as simply Wincci.
“While the title has a nice ring to it, I still like to be called Wincci,” she said in a telephone interview yesterday.
Soo received her doctorate from the Open University Malaysia where she did her PhD in Business Administration.
“It was a long and arduous journey... it took me six years to finish. My friends and family thought I was crazy juggling both my studies and career at the same time.
"I am not out to prove myself or anything like that. To me, a good education is everything,” said the 30-year-old artiste, who is currently busy filming a new ntv7 series titled I Am Not A Loser.
It was in late 2010 when Soo decided to further her studies. It also coincided with her debut in showbiz.
“I didn’t get much sleep during the first few years. I devoted much of my time to my studies where I didn’t even have time for my own family and friends. I even gave up my relationship for this. Deep down I felt very lonely,” she said.
There were also times when she had wanted to give up. “I was feeling tired and frustrated. My thesis was rejected a few times by my professors and I was at my wits’ end. But, everytime when I felt the urge to give up, there was always a force that kept pushing me to go on,” she added.
When Soo was informed of this good news, she broke down and cried for an hour.
“It felt like a burden had finally lifted off my shoulder. Now that I’ve made it, I hope to inspire more people, especially the younger generation to work hard in order to achieve their own dreams,” she said.
Wincci who also has a law degree from the UK’s University Of Reading has starred in both films and television. Some of her popular works include Injustice Stranger, Destiny In Her Hands and Mr Siao.
An accomplished singer, Soo has to date, released six albums including a self-titled Malay EP. Currently, she manages her own artistes management company, Beyond Artistes.