Three students of Tunku Kurshiah College (TKC) in Negri Sembilan did the country proud by being among the winners at the Asian English Olympics in Jakarta last week.
Fourth former Asma Mohd Jailani, 16, emerged as the champion under the Short Story Writing category, beating 48 other participants, with her story titled 'A Pinprick of Light'.
She bagged RM1,500 (five million rupiah) cash prize, a trophy and a certificate.
Meanwhile, two others TKC students, Anis Nur Athirah Ahmad Sukari, 16, and Alyssa Sofea Ahmad Zahari, 17, became top five novice speakers after winning second and fourth place respectively in the Debate category.
Speaking to Bernama upon arrival from Jakarta today, Asma said it was an unbelievable moment for her and she was truly shocked when her name was announced as the winner because the thought of her competing with university students of Asian countries was too overwhelming.
"I didn't go to the stage when they announced my name until I heard my friends chanted my name, saying that I won. Then, it came to my senses that I am the champion of the competition.
"I always have a dream of becoming a writer or an author despite knowing the hardship of one, and putting myself into an author's shoe, I wrote the story with pride and joy," she said, adding this was her first time entering such prestigious competition.
Anis and Alyssa, on the other hand, said when doubts filled their minds, they would always count on each other for motivation and to give renewed hope that they were able to compete with university-level students and match their standards with determination and confidence.
"We felt proud and we did TKC proud when we both emerged as the only Malaysian and high school team standing together with much-experienced varsity students," Anis said.
Receiving the arrival of students and teachers, the TKC vice-president (religion & education) Hafsah Hashim said these students, first-timers for an international event, had been trained and guided by three teachers since December last year and had put English language on a higher level at an international competition.
"TKC stands tall in the forefront among residential schools. Therefore, the principal, Hamizan A Hamid, wants the students to be exposed to international competition and strive for excellence," said Hafsah, who is also the SME Corporation chief executive officer.
Themed 'Radiate Your Light', the Asian English Olympics, which was held on Feb 16-20, saw the participation of more than 500 participants from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippine, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, and Macau.
They competed in the Debate, Newscasting, Scrabble, Short Story Writing, Speech, Spelling Bee, and Story-Telling categories.
- Bernama
