KULIM: Being innovative runs in the family for SMK Sultan Badlishah student R. Prevena.
Prevena who did the nation proud after bagging Best Speaker and Best Position Paper Awards at the 2017 International Model United Nations (IMUN) Conference in the United States recently, was not the first from her family to win a major award.
The innovator and investor trait is all in her blood as the 14-year-old is inspired by her two elder brothers who had bagged major awards at both local and international innovation competitions.
Her eldest brother Sri Ahrivesh, 18, won a prize in the Genius Olympiad 2012 International High School Project Fair on Environment, in New York, five years ago.
Three years ago, Prevena, her friend V. Sushmeetha and her other brother R. Rasyikash, 16, also did the nation proud after they bagged Double Gold Award at the British Invention Show (BIS) in London.
Even her 10-year-old brother Ruthirash has shown a keen interest in science by appearing in the "Souped Up Land - the Smart Refugees Camp" video which landed Preven the runner up place in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) worldwide multimedia competition which earned her an invitation to the International Model UN Conference.
"I was inspired by my brothers who had won awards at local and international competitions. They have proven that nothing is impossible if work hard and I am happy for being able to follow their footsteps," she said after being given a rousing heroic welcome by her teachers and schoolmates at SMK Sultan Badlishah.
Present were her proud parents, R. Ramakrishnan, 50, and mother, S. Jaya Devi, her brother Sri Ahrivesh, SMK Sultan Badlisah principle Yazid Yusof and the school teachers.
Prevena, who inspires to be a scientist said the three-week stint at the IMUN's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics summer programme has improved her self-esteem, particularly in presenting her ideas in front of the crowd.
"I was a quiet student and I rarely give public talks but the experience has changed me a lot," she said with a broad smile.
Sri Ahrivesh, who is on semester break from Robert Bosch United World College in Freiburg, Germany, said he was happy with Prevena’s achievement and wishes to see her bagging more awards in future.
Their father, an engineering manager hopes that his children achievement would inspire students in this country to take part in invention and innovation competitions.
"Of course I am very happy that she won the awards but winning alone is not everything. What more important is to have the courage to take part in any competition and learn new experiences and knowledge.
"I hope her achievement will inspire other students at this school and out there to show their potential in such competitions," he said.
Meanwhile, Yazid praised Prevena for her success and said it is yet another major achievement for the school this year after another Form Two student Syazwan Iskandar Saari won the Gold Medal at Geneva International Innovation Competition in April.
"We are very proud by these achievements and as a cluster school, we want to see more students to emulate Prevena and Syazwan," he said.
He added that the school encourages the students to nurture their innovation skills, in line with the government move to nurture High-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) and promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects among the students.