She was just another face in the crowd when she first stepped into the Universiti Sains Malaysia Engineering Campus.
No one saw her as extraordinary.
She didn’t come from a well-known school. Her family couldn’t afford private tuition or the latest gadgets.
While others had laptops with cutting-edge specs, she used a second-hand one that sometimes took five minutes just to start up.
While others drove or rode to class, she cycled from the hostel rain or shine, her bag heavy with notes and reference books.
In lectures, she rarely spoke unless called upon. But she listened — really listened.
Every night, while her friends relaxed or scrolled through social media, she was at the library.
Her friends teased her for borrowing thick engineering reference books “just for fun.”
They didn’t know she was teaching herself beyond the syllabus.
One semester, during a national engineering design competition, she was the only participant from her batch to volunteer.
When the results were announced and her team came second, someone whispered,
"She? From a small town school? How?"
She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.
She simply kept going — project after project, late-night lab work, countless revisions of her thesis.
She asked questions others were too shy to ask.
She learned from seniors, lecturers, and even technicians in the workshop.
Four years later…
She graduated with first-class honours in Mechanical Engineering.
She secured a job offer from a leading engineering firm before even attending her convocation.
Now, she returns to USM annually to give talks to new students, especially those who feel they don’t “fit the mould.”
And those who once underestimated her?
Some now reach out for career advice.
Because sometimes, the strongest engines are built quietly — and once they start, they don’t stop.
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