Past Winners - IMU University

Wilkinson Tan Yoong Jian

"As a student, my early involvement in social work, caring for the elderly and children has enabled me to understand the needs of people and has instilled in me that care and compassion are an integral part of health care providers. My experience in my work with people in remote areas has helped me to understand that every person has the right to proper medical care and help. Working in such areas has helped me to organize myself to be able to withstand hardships and barriers to reach people who need medical care wherever and whenever needed."

Wilkinson graduated as a doctor from IMU in 2012 and is currently working as a medical officer in obstetrics and gynecology at Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital in Kota Kinabalu. He continues to be active in social work and is a member of the Rotary Club of Likas Bay. In 2014, he was bestowed as a Paul Harris Fellow for contribution made to the Rotary Foundation. The Rotary Club aids the local community by providing basic sanitation, medical aid, clean water, food and clothing for the less fortunate. He also remains active in the scouting movement having recently joined the Kota Kinabalu Rover C Air Scouts Crew and undergoing leadership training to become a scoutmaster.

World Vision Malaysia

Albert Ling Chuan Kai

"Gandhi once said you must be the change you want to see in the world. We must be the catalyst and an initiator to a change. With that, I joined Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) Seremban and started organising events to help the needy communities that I come across. I hope in the near future, I’ll be able to mobilise more youths in community work. It is through interaction with the society that I have learnt so much about the local community, friendships and most importantly about myself. I hope to share the joy of volunteerism with them."

Albert graduated as a doctor from IMU in Sept 2014. In 2015, he received the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK) or Meritorious Service Medal by His Royal Highness DYMM Yang Di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus. The medal is given to reward meritorious service to the public.

Pertubuhan Hospice Negeri Sembilan

Low Chia Yen

"Never in my life have I thought that I could play a role in the community, by contributing and giving back to the society. A simple smile, a simple delicate touch, a simple game activity and the amount of time and effort that was poured out all in exchange for the benefit of others is the greatest reward of all. The most important thing that I have learnt through involvement in community service/activities was to appreciate life and to constantly be grateful for the things that I have. I have learnt to be selfless and to think of others instead of me, me and me"

Chia Yen is currently in her final year of her nursing degree and upon graduation, she intends to work as a registered staff nurse. She will continue her active involvement in community service especially in activities catering to children’s needs.

Malaysia Association for Welfare of Mentally Challenged Children

Auleep Ganguly

"Honestly, it is not something that I was heavily involved in until I joined IMU. Growing up, I used to see my parents always donating their used clothes or items to orphanages or other such institutions. That was one of my first experiences of giving back to the community. I slowly began getting more involved in community work as I grew older and my passion for it grew."

Auleep Ganguly from India became actively involved in giving back to the community on a regular basis since he joined IMU five years ago. For his efforts in these, Auleep who is an IMU dentistry student, was awarded the Aflame Student Award at IMU’s University Day celebrations on 11 March 2016 at the University’s campus in Bukit Jalil.

Persatuan Kebajikan dan Pembangunan Modal Insan Selangor

Michele Fernandez a/p Joseph Hath

"Life is but a stage and we are all merely actors. I believe each of us have a role to play during our lifetime here. Let’s make our role something positive and impact the lives of the lost and forgotten. Don’t wait till you have experienced the pain of nothing to realise the value of giving."

Michele was inspired from a young age by her mother to help others who are less fortunate. Since then, she has actively volunteered with various non-governmental organisations (Dignity for Children, Liter of Light, Street Feeders of KL). Issues affecting the urban poor, orphans and single mothers remain close to her heart and she plans to start her own social project that will have a long-lasting beneficial impact. Michele graduated as a pharmacist from IMU in April 2017.

Dignity for Children Foundation

Mohd Firdaus bin Abdullah

"Mahatma Gandhi once said the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. The essence of what we really are is caring for others and if we act selfishly, we are not acting as our true selves."

Mohd Firdaus has a passion for helping people with disability. He has volunteered at care homes for children with disability and the Society of the Blind Malaysia. He plays an active role as an advocate for the deaf culture and has completed three courses in sign language. Within the deaf community, he has tutored high school students and visited the sick to provide medical and household items. Mohd Firdaus graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) degree from the International Medical University in 2018.

Majudiri ‘Y’ Foundation For The Deaf

Brenda Chin Huey Zien

"I have come to see that just as much as we cannot, perhaps we do not need to fix the entire world. I believe we do, however, need to actively play our part to seek to change as many ‘individual worlds’ as we can; to be as kind and intentional as we can, to do as much good as we can, to be as competent as one can be."

Brenda Chin is a final year student pursuing her medical degree in International Medical University. She believes that access to health and education should be the right of every person and has actively volunteered in initiatives supporting those causes. She is involved in leading the Kampung Sebir Education Project under IMU Cares where once weekly guidance classes are arranged for the children living there. She has also organised public health screening services and public health awareness campaigns through Asian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA).

Refuge For The Refugees

IMU Medical Student Wins Aflame Award 2019

Shinah Saeed

"I believe that part of what makes me a better healthcare professional is the ability to be empathetic towards people from all walks of life. However, this might be a bit difficult if I never had to survive on RM 20 for two entire weeks or if I had to hold off going to the clinic even when I am sick, just because I could not afford that. Therein lies my passion to be kind to everyone I meet. Being a student on scholarship and knowing my parents could not afford to send me money whenever I am broke, I have had to do both and much more. Therefore, when I see a patient considering not getting a certain medication just because it is expensive, I am able to empathise with them because I have been there, and I have done that."

During the E-University Day which was virtually held on 24 July 2020, it was the first time in the history of the Aflame Student Award, under the provision of “Judges’ Special Award for Aflame Student Award”, that there were three winners for 2020. The judges saw that it was fair for everyone to be winners as all three finalists were equally and exceptionally good for their contribution to the community. The recipients of the award were given the opportunity to nominate a beneficiary of their interest to receive a donation of RM2,000 in hopes of continuous support to aid the community. Shinah is a final year student pursuing her medical degree in International Medical University. She believes that the experiences during these activities developed her being empathetic towards people from all walks of life and made her a better healthcare professional. She is involved in Dream Bigger; Reaching Out – DBRO which gave her the opportunity to explore the humanitarian side of herself more and at the same time helped to open her eyes to those who were less fortunate.

MERCY Malaysia

Aflame Award Winner: Exploring More of My Humanitarian Personality

Tan Chen Liang

"All I need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return. To me, that is a humanitarian. We have to teach them. As the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. These are the changes that I hope to realise in the future."

During the E-University Day which was virtually held on 24 July 2020, it was the first time in the history of the Aflame Student Award, under the provision of “Judges’ Special Award for Aflame Student Award”, that there were three winners for 2020. The judges saw that it was fair for everyone to be winners as all three finalists were equally and exceptionally good for their contribution to the community. The recipients of the award were given the opportunity to nominate a beneficiary of their interest to receive a donation of RM2,000 in hopes of continuous support to aid the community. During the E-University Day which was virtually held on 24 July 2020, it was the first time in the history of the Aflame Student Award, under the provision of “Judges’ Special Award for Aflame Student Award”, that there were three winners for 2020. The judges saw that it was fair for everyone to be winners as all three finalists were equally and exceptionally good for their contribution to the community. The recipients of the award were given the opportunity to nominate a beneficiary of their interest to receive a donation of RM2,000 in hopes of continuous support to aid the community. Tan Chen Liang is a final year student pursuing her medical degree in International Medical University. He is keen to serve the minorities in Malaysia and strongly believes that education improves lives, motivating him to be a part of a Rohingya refugee project. He is also worked with a team of data scientists, medical professionals, designers and developers in setting up the CoronaTracker which provides the latest news and developments of the 2019-nCov.

Persatuan Untuk Anak Kita (PUAK)

Passion for Helping Those in Need Leads to Aflame Award for IMU Medical Student

Karishma Kaur a/p Rajinder Singh Gill

"People often think you need a lot of time dedicated to do extracurricular activities but in reality, I think it’s just a matter what we choose to prioritise. Some prefer other forms of extracurricular activities such as playing sports, hiking, reading etc. I just chose to use my free time to volunteer. It felt rather second nature to spend my free time as such – serving other has very much been a way of life I have adopted."

During the E-University Day which was virtually held on 24 July 2020, it was the first time in the history of the Aflame Student Award, under the provision of “Judges’ Special Award for Aflame Student Award”, that there were three winners for 2020. The judges saw that it was fair for everyone to be winners as all three finalists were equally and exceptionally good for their contribution to the community. The recipients of the award were given the opportunity to nominate a beneficiary of their interest to receive a donation of RM2,000 in hopes of continuous support to aid the community. Karishma is a final year dental student in IMU and she noted that the most treasured lesson gained from her experience in community service was how big of an impact small changes can bring. She has a passion to be volunteered for community services which mostly involved in providing oral healthcare such as dental treatment or oral hygiene education to the communities.

Dentistry for The Needy

Aflame Award Serves as Recognition for IMU Dentistry Student’s Involvement in Community Projects

Nur Nabila binti Nasharuddin

"Echoing Winston Churchill’s thought, we indeed make a life by what we give, and community work benefits not only the community or the beneficiaries but the volunteers as well. Finding your genuine passion and fighting for it allows us to be a better version of ourselves, builds our character, and perhaps, make the world a little better for everyone, including you. We might not be wealthy, strong, or free enough to help everyone, but with a bit of creativity, each one of us has something to offer, and no act of kindness is too small to make a difference."

“Nelson Mandela once said that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. This quote has made Nur Nabila realized that education has always empowered her and gives her the strength to be the best version of herself. Her passion to the education has brought her to ProjectEd, an organization that strives for equity in tertiary education. A part of that, she also actively involved in numerous community engagement; namely Yayasan Salam Chow Kit, outreach programmes to the Kampung Orang Asli Hulu Kemensah, Adolescent’s Health Awareness Campaign in schools, and others. Nur Nabila graduated with medical degree in International Medical University.

ProjectEd

Advocacy for Education Led IMU’s Medical Student to Winning Aflame Student Award 2021

Aflame Student Award Past Winners