Global Student Prize finalist Alesyah honoured at Sabah's National Day celebrations

KOTA KINABALU: Interior Sabah lass Alesyah Asa was honoured at the state-level National Day celebrations here for making Malaysians proud by being one of the 50 finalists for the Global Student Prize 2022.

The 20-year-old student Keningau Vocational School became the first to receive a Special National Day Award by the state government that was presented to her by Yang Di Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin at the celebrations in Padang Merdeka here Wednesday (Aug 31).

"I am proud to be in the top 50 in the Global Student Prize Awards and now another award received on National Day. My advice to those who would like to venture into innovation is to stand out and be brave in pitching your creativity to mentors at schools," she said.

She was chosen based on her contributions and achievement in the fields of science, technology, engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The Special National Day Award was introduced by the state government this year for Sabahans who had excelled internationally, state Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said.

He said Alesyah was picked from among 50 Sabahan youths who made Sabah proud worldwide.

Alesyah, from the interior Nabawan district, has a string of international awards including winning the STEAM Chapter of The Awesome Foundation competition in the United States.

She also became a presenter of an innovation project at the International Euroasia Congress on Scientific Researches conference and led the student exchange delegation in South Korea, which made her the candidate for the Global Student Prize Awards.

She also took part in the Global Media and Information Literacy Youth Champion Hackathon organised by Unesco and South Korea.

Aleysyah, a construction technology student, was the sole Malaysian finalist for the prestigious annual award for students who make a huge impact on learning, their peers and society.