A ‘prince’ among men walks humbly on campus.

Inspirational lad: Prince during the Monash University annual ball where he was voted Mr Monash.

MOHAMAD Rahman Iman Hussein was so bullied as a child, he never in his wildest dreams thought that, one day, he would become the most popular student on campus.

He now wants to inspire his fellow Rohingya refugees to follow their dreams.

The 22-year-old impressed his peers so much that they voted him prom king at their university ball this year.

But life was not always sweet for Mohamad Rahman, who is called “Prince” by his friends.

Born in Penang and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Prince was ridiculed and ostracised by his peers at a religious school simply for being different.

“As a kid, I was not accepted because I was a refugee. I was judged by some people who did not want me to be a part of their community. I felt so isolated.

“My teacher announced in class once that I was not like everyone because I was a refugee. I felt embarrassed and was really affected by the incident,” he related.

At age 11, Prince enrolled at Harvest Centre (now known as Dignity for Children Foundation) where he learnt to speak and master English.

However, Prince was still not ready to reveal his refugee status when he entered college several years later.

“I never told anyone I was a refugee because of the discrimination I faced when I was younger. I wanted to build a good image of myself and didn’t want people to speak ill of me.

“I didn’t tell anyone except my two closest friends in college,” he said.

Prince’s life took a positive turn when he was awarded a scholarship to study in Monash University Malaysia last year, prompting him to break out of his shell.

“When I came to Monash, I was surprised by the amount of acceptance I received here.

“People tell me my story is inspirational, and that I shouldn’t hide who I am.

“That was when I started to be more open about myself. Now when I give talks to refugee children, I tell them not to be embarrassed and to be proud of who they are.”

The second of five siblings, Prince wants to set an example to the younger ones who are still studying in Dignity, as well as other Rohingya refugees.

“In future, I want to be a motivational speaker, especially to my people.

“I want to touch people’s lives. I feel like this is my duty as a refugee.

“I want to pay it forward,” he added.

 

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