PHYSICALLY-challenged P. Swaty, 18, who scored 9As in the 2023 SPM examinations, is an aspiring lawyer currently pursuing her pre-university programme at Penang Matriculation College, Kepala Batas.
Swaty’s favourite subjects are English and Sejarah, which reflect her interest in studying law.
A former student of SMK Bukit Jambul, she was born with unequal leg lengths and underwent a leg-lengthening surgery at the age of 13, causing her to miss an entire school year.
Subsequently, she missed most of 2019 and 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, during which affected schools were closed and students attended online classes.
Despite the challenging three years, Swaty dedicated herself to catching up in Form 4 and intensively preparing herself for Form 5 before sitting for her examinations.
“After attaining fairly disappointing results at my SPM trial examinations, I never thought I would score straight As, but I worked hard and my SPM results reflect my efforts,” she added.
Swaty’s father works for a multinational company while her mum is a housewife. She has two younger siblings.
Another inspiring student, Muhamad Ziyad Rafiuddin Mohd Zailani, 18, proved to be a true advocate for digitalisation as he turned to YouTube as a means of studying and attaining relevant materials suited for the subjects he took during the SPM examinations.
Born with a half-right limb, Muhamad Ziyad refused to let his physical disadvantage hinder his academic pursuits.
The former SMKA (L) Al-Mashoor student scored 6As in SPM and is now studying Al-Quran and Sunnah at Universiti Islam Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah (UNIPSAS).
Irvin Goh Yen Shen, diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), attained an average score of 3.42 in his STPM examinations.
He is now pursuing his passion for interior design, at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), further showcasing his determination to excel.
These three special students were among 10 recipients of an RM500 contribution each from the Penang government.
During the event, Chow personally presented the contributions and hosted a special lunch for the students, their parents, and teachers.
The other two students present were Nur Aina Najihah Razali (3.67 in STPM) and Nur Aishah Abdul Rani (3.84 in STPM).
Five other students, who were unable to attend the session due to personal reasons, were Tan Jun Sheng (4.0 in STPM), Hovan Tan Yuan Chao (3.92 in STPM), Leng Xin Yi (5As in SPM), Mohamad Adam Nuriman Mohd Sobri (6As in SPM), and lastly Ch’ng E-Chern (4As in SPM).
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Alissala Thian