Once mocked by his peers, he now studies in France

BY: Patrick Beech

His peers once made fun of him as his father is a garbage truck driver and his mother is a cleaner. 

This only motivated Jeffry Rais Jamaludin to study harder and today, he has achieved his dreams and is furthering his studies at the Universite Toulouse 3-Paul Sabatier in France. 

Jeffry, from Malacca, was offered a sponsorship from Majlis Amanah Raya (MARA) to pursue his studies abroad after he got 9As in his SPM in 2019. 

He is now pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. 

"Being teased by my friends only made me stronger and motivated me to study harder. I wanted to prove that even those born to simple families are capable of achieving success," he said. 

Having gone through hardships, he is now savvy with his money while abroad. 

"I eat out only once a month and cook at home the rest of the time. I follow recipes on YouTube and even call my mother at times. I save the money I receive from the scholarship and use it to travel with my friends during the summer," he said. 

His mother, Aisah said Jeffry has been independent since Form 1 and was admitted into a boarding school and later accepted an offer to Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Terendak under a sponsorship. 

The third of four siblings is determined to achieve success and wants to prove that even the less fortunate are capable of anything.