When one door closes, another opens

In mid-2019, Asrul Danial Zaidi Roshadi enrolled into a pilot training academy in Australia and was expected to fly to ‘The Land Down Under’ in early 2021. However, his plans were interrupted when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and he began to reconsider his option to continue with online lessons. Furthermore, with the onset of multiple lockdowns globally and the uncertainties that lie ahead, Asrul concluded that pursuing a career in the aviation industry might not be an ideal choice after all.

In January 2021, he took a leap of faith and enrolled himself in the Foundation in Business (FIB) programme with Sunway College Johor Bahru and the rest, as they say is history. Asrul graduated with a whopping CGPA of 3.98 and was recognised with the Outstanding Academic Achievement award for his cohort as a reward for his excellent performance.          

“There is no special formula for me to ace exams – focusing in class really helps me to understand well as we can have immediate response to our questions from lecturers. At the end of the day, it is not the marks that matter, but the knowledge acquired. If we get the knowledge right, the marks should be just fine,” said Asrul.  

“I will be continuing to pursue a business degree with Sunway College Johor Bahru, majoring in Banking and Finance. Meanwhile, I’m currently busy managing my small clothing business which I started not too long ago which I hope will help me understand the real struggles in the business world. Hence, once I graduate with a business degree, I’m certain it will help to sharpen my business acumen, skills and knowledge.”

Asrul’s best memories to-date is when they were finally allowed to return to campus for face-to-face lessons after months of attending classes online.

“The FIB is a one-year programme and attending classes online is something I was not looking forward to so when we were allowed to return to campus, I was excited because I finally get to meet my friends again!” exclaimed Asrul.

Asrul’s journey has indeed taught us that in life, there are bound to be setbacks when things don’t go as planned, but we should not give up easily but rather, take them in our stride.  

We look forward to great things from this promising young entrepreneur and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.