ALOR STAR: Upon graduating from his matriculation programme in 2017, Nyi Nyi Nay Naing thought that the door to pursuing his studies was completely shut for him following the outbreak of a violent conflict in Rakhine state, Myanmar a year earlier.
Despite the hurdles, Ali, as he is fondly known by his peers, refused to give up on his dream.
In 2018, together with his cousin Muaz and friend Arshad, they left their small coastal village Kyauk Ni Maw in Rakhine to get to Myanmar's capital city, Yangon.
"I barely knew the English language and had never touched a computer in my whole life. My family did not have the means to support my studies, let alone study abroad," said the eldest of four.
The fisherman's son found a beacon of light upon learning about the Albukhary International University (AIU) scholarship.
With the help of a volunteer organisation in Yangon, the trio began their journey to pursue their passion for education.
Today, Ali, 22, was the proud recipient of the AIU Chancellor Award at the university's 4th convocation ceremony – the first ever AIU student to receive the prestigious award.
He was among 229 AIU students from 23 countries, including Malaysia, to graduate this year.
The Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours) graduate's achievements span across academics, leadership, and services to the community.
"I always dreamed of making my parents proud and I dedicate this award to them, although I can't travel back now to celebrate with them," he said in English.
His joy was shared by Fazlina Muhammad Amin Yeap, 25, who bagged the vice-chancellor award and the Sharifah Rokiah Award.
Her mother, Zainab Isa, 53, shed tears of joy when Fazlina, who graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in marketing, received the awards from AIU's newly minted pro-chancellor Sonny Bill Williams.
Fazlina, the third of six children, was born to an underprivileged family in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, with her father earning a living as a scrap collector.
Like Ali, Fazlina and the majority of the students here were able to pursue their studies thanks to the scholarship provided by the Albukhary Foundation.
"Some students have not even seen the alphabet, let alone learn English, before they came here. Within three to four years, they have transformed.
"The uniqueness of our graduates, who come from an underprivileged community from various countries, is not just academically competent, but we are prouder of them being wholesome individuals.
"We believe in character building beyond academic competency. Our students' excellence is being demonstrated in community building and community engagement. Some of them are already building their own business," said AIU vice-chancellor and president, Prof Datuk Mohd Saleh Jaafar.
Meanwhile, Williams, the All Blacks legend and two-time Rugby World Cup winner, said the AIU graduates' success is a testament to their resilience and determination.
"I came from a bit of a struggle, and I used sports as my platform for change, for growth. I think when you come from a struggle, you have to fight to make something of yourself, it creates a great leadership quality that you can't just hand down. That's what these graduates have right now," he said.
Williams, who was inaugurated as AIU's first chancellor yesterday, said he was excited to assist AIU in fostering quality leadership among the students so that they could go back and really bring changes to their respective communities upon graduating.