NOT many young people would fight as hard as Muhammad Firdaus for the chance to go to university.
Born into a B40 household, he grew up watching his stepfather take on odd jobs and long shifts in factories just to survive. For Firdaus, the leap to university felt impossible – there was simply too little to spare for education. But he refused to let his circumstances define him.
To fund his diploma at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), he freelanced as a backend developer for the Johor STEM Hub. Every ringgit earned was channeled straight into his tertiary education.
For extra income, Firdaus sold waffles and kaya balls at a local pasar malam during his semester break.
His determination, however, was unshakable. A self-taught developer, he even built his own event management system – Eventvista – proof of the talent and grit that kept him going when the odds were stacked against him.
That perseverance found its reward when the CIMB Asean Scholarship opened doors of opportunity for him.
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