ME MYSELF AND I

6th July 2005 was the very first day that I stepped in to USM Engineering Campus. In my early days at USM, I was still uncertain if I really want to continue the course. But as time went by, I realized that Materials Engineering is actually the course that suit me perfectly and not Chemical Engineering that I wished for at the beginning. Thanks God, I was on the right path. Allah the Mighty is the best planner indeed. 

Campus Life was totally the opposite of what I experienced in my school days. I was one of the high achiever in Materials Engineering of Batch 2005/2009. Alhamdulillah, I obtained six Dean's List Awards throughout my 4 years study. I am so much into Materials Engineering. Right after my first graduation in August 2009, I then continued my study in Masters of Science (Bioceramics) and completed the study in 1.5 years. I am one of the "home-grown" or USM product., which I am proud of. 

In 2012, I challenged myself to go beyond my comfort zone and decided to do my PhD in the United Kingdom (UK). Alhamdulillah, after several months looking for placement, finally on 21st of June 2012  I got my PhD placement and supervisor in Keele University. I then flew to UK on 16 September 2012 and started my PhD in Biomedical Engineering 3 days later. Keele University has one of the best Medical School in the UK, but my first challenge arose when I have to fabricate my own materials for the project. My supervisor then assigned me under this well-known grant in Tissue Engineering (TE) field called "Arthritis Research UK- Tissue Engineering Centre (ARUK-TEC)" , which allowed me to work with 4 other universities across the UK (University of Cambridge, Newcastle University, York University and University of Edinburgh). After 9 months of PhD, I was sent off to Newcastle University for collaboration work. It was tough at the beginning with new surrounding, new research group and supervisors. But, Alhamdulillah everything went well. I was travelling back and forth between Keele and Newcastle for 21 months. I was also given the opportunities to work with the other 2 universities which are University of Cambridge and University of Edinburgh. No doubt, nomad life is super challenging but exciting! Doing PhD abroad had taught me a lot of things about life. It is not only about getting another scroll. I learnt to survive independently, be more open-minded, friendly, empathy, responsible, organize yet still remained humble. On March 16th, 2016,  I had my viva voce, examined by Professor Jan Czernuszka from Oxford Materials, University of Oxford and Dr. Jan Herman-Kuiper from RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry , Keele University. It was the longest  3.5 hours in my life, fighting in the battle for the 3.5 years of PhD work. Alhamdulillah, they gave me a 2, meaning passed with minor correction! No words could best describes the feeling. Thank you to my lovely and supportive lab-mates for patiently waiting for me to walk out the viva room with full of happiness. It was quite late when I finally got my result (7pm ish), but they were still there for me ready to party! The last few words from the examiners are still fresh in my mind till today.." Are you a Princess or something? I can see your bodyguards and escorts are waiting for you out there. We better let you off now. Congratulations you had successfully passed your viva! Well done! You have a bright future awaits, Yanny. All the best." Thank you to my beloved parents  for never ending doa, support and love although they were miles away at that time. Thank you to my supervisors, although I was  all on myown battled in the viva, their spirits of fighting were in me, which supported me to stay strong all the way through. Thank you to my supportive and lovely friends for being there always. I finally submitted my thesis for graduation on 16th June 2016 and attended my PhD summer congregation on the 12th of July 2016 with my beloved family and friends! Thanks a heap, everyone! Thank you Allah for this amazing journey filled with unforgettable moments.