Malaysian Student Emerges Top Among 10,000 Graduates at Virginia Tech

Do you remember the struggles you faced when you were pursuing your tertiary education?

We all can attest how difficult it was to obtain a perfect cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.0 for even one semester of studies, let alone maintain it for the duration of the course.

A Malaysian student, however, proved that the feat is not impossible.

Irdina Shahriman, 24, emerged as the top student among almost 10,000 graduates at Virginia Tech, with a perfect CGPA of 4.0 for her four years of study from 2018 to 2021, reported thevibes.com.

The report, citing StarEdu, said the American Degree Transfer Program scholar from Yayasan Tenaga Nasional who pursued a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, received a Phi Kappa Phi medallion from her university's College of Engineering for the feat.

The award is given to senior graduates with the highest academic results, said the report.

So, what’s her secret of success?

"I am not a 'genius' by nature, so I worked hard. I did not skip classes, I took notes diligently, and more importantly, I took the initiative to connect with my professors and classmates, which enhanced my understanding of the subject matter," she told StarEdu, as quoted in the report.

While her accomplishment was solely due to her hard work, she highlighted that she didn’t neglect self-care in the process.

She said despite being challenged with exams twice a week and having little to no social life due to assignments and revisions, Irdina made sure she got enough sleep and exercise. She also mostly ate homecooked meals.

Irdina is currently waiting for her placement at Tenaga Nasional Berhad.

We wish you all the best!