in Articles, Education, Founders' Corner

Since our last Skolafund update way back when we were reflecting on a busy month of May, we’ve had a blessed month of fasting and giving with Ramadhan.

We then celebrated Hari Raya with family, forgiveness and lots of feasting.

A post shared by Skolafund (@skolafund) on

But in between the iftars and rayas, our work at Skolafund goes on! In this regular feature, we collect some of the places Skolafund was mentioned over the last month – whether online or offline, in the news or amongst the community. And this time, we’re talking about fashion, food and fighting spirit.

We really recommend you read this all the way to the end. 

Ever wondered what we wear at the Skolafund HQ?

Maybe a better question would be – who HASN’T wondered? Everyone knows the late Apple founder Steve Jobs loved to wear the same thing everyday, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg does the same.

Do we do the same too? Or are there strict rules in the office – for example, on Wednesdays, do we wear pink?

Be prepared to have all your questions answered by our very own Skolafund CEO, Tengku Ahmad Syamil. Featured in a group of seven “Business Start-Up Icons,” Syamil shared his views to Usahawan Nasional (in Malay!):

“Saya sering mengenakan kemeja berwarna biru kelasi dan hitam serta seluar kasual untuk bekerja seharian. Pada hari yang dijadualkan untuk bermesyuarat, saya akan memakai kemeja formal atau kemeja-T syarikat. Pada hari-hari lain, saya akan memakai pakaian santai sahaja. Sama juga halnya dengan pengasas yang lain; mereka memakai pakaian yang senang dan selesa bagi mereka.

Our CEO looking good.

“We want to optimise our mental strength…and get rid of petty stress like what to wear to work today.” – Handsome Boss Man

Kami hanya mempunyai kod pakaian untuk acara-acara penting. Kami mahu mengoptimumkan tenaga mental—yang kami perlukan sepanjang hari untuk membuat keputusan perniagaan dan teknologi—dan menghapuskan stres yang remeh seperti perasaan bimbang disebabkan tidak tahu mahu memakai apa untuk ke tempat kerja.

Not everyone agrees though, and it’s definitely interesting to check out what the six other young entrepreneurs/start-up owners think about their appearance and work attire!

You can find the full article, in Bahasa Malaysia, on Usahawan Nasional here.

A Short Visit To Our Neighbours…

It is still the month of Syawal, where Muslims all across Malaysia balik kampung to catch up with family and friends – for some of us, home is further away than others! Skolafund has a pretty strong connection to Singapore, and last month, co-founder Syakir Hashim was featured in a Vulcan Post article, listing 5 Singaporean Entrepreneurs Who Found Success Overseas.

The Grass Is Greener On The Other Side – 5 S’pore Entrepreneurs Who Found Success Overseas

It was just a nice coincidence that Skolafund also launched our first ever Singapore crowdfunding campaign over the last month! The support from the community was incredibly encouraging, as 85 individuals raised SGD$6,780 (about RM21,000) for Siti Zakiah to complete her studies at Taylor’s University, Malaysia.

An international award-winning culinary student with big dreams, Siti Zakiah’s campaign was even featured on the front page of Singapore’s Malay-language newspaper, Berita Harian. An online version can be found here, but we’ve also attached a scanned version of the article right here:

 

Congratulations to Siti Zakiah, Singapore’s first #skolafunded student!

In the article, Siti Zakiah shares what she has gained from her experiences as a student who’s learnt from experts in the culinary field. We’ll be translating the article for you soon, but here’s a little part from her interview:

“Don’t ever give up. As long as you’re alive, seeking knowledge remains a necessity. Simply do your best and have faith in yourself.”

We’ll Stand Up For One Of Our Own

If you’ve ever looked at the stories on Skolafund, you’ll realise how much each one of these students has struggled hard to achieve great things. The rising cost of education in Malaysia doesn’t make it easier.

One of the students currently raising money for his own Diploma in Nursing at University Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak is Leo from Sarawak, a 21 year old from a single parent household. We launched his crowdfunding campaign a while ago, but recently his story has also reached Twitter – with an important appeal from a good friend retweeted more than 600 times:

 

Later, Leo himself thanked everyone for the support, saying that:


If you have the spare cash to contribute to Leo Mixsbobic’s Skolafund campaign, you can easily do so right here.

We’ll end with this little exchange we saw on Twitter, which – despite the tough situation – made us smile.

That’s the spirit! Fighting Leo, and every student facing any difficulties! ????????????????????????

One day, it will all be worth it.


Check out what we were up to the previous months, right here:

Skolafund In The Community: Not All Heroes Wear Capes!

Skolafund In The News: TOP TEN, Digerati 50 and… Neelofa??

And a totally unrelated but equally amazing article on job hunting here:

“So… Tell me about yourself.” – What NOT To Reply In A Job Interview

Did you like this article? Want to be updated on similar articles, opportunities and scholarships for university graduates like you? We’d like to invite you to join our exclusive Facebook group here: Skolafund Student Community – Scholarships, Funding & Opportunities. Can’t wait to see you there.

Have Your Say!