A 17-year-old Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidate from Sarawak has won the Ascendance Founders Award 2022, which comes with a scholarship worth RM50,000 from international youth organisation Ascendance.
Mohd Haziq Aqil Hass from SMK Hajjah Laila Taib in Samarahan was selected out of hundreds of students in recognition of his tremendous academic progress and career growth over the past year.
From an ordinary village boy who barely spoke English, Mohd Haziq’s progression is nothing short of impressive.
He has emceed multiple international conferences and built his own online show, the Ascendance Weekly Round-Up, all before even leaving high school.
He is also a top scorer and head prefect at his school and represents Sarawak in the ongoing Pertandingan Pidato e-Mas 3.0 organised by the Education Ministry.
The scholarship, which will commence in 2023 after the completion of Mohd Haziq’s SPM examinations, will see the young changemaker getting the opportunity to further develop his career and aid him in launching his own social impact project.
The Ascendance Founders Award also includes an all-expense-paid three-month trip from Sarawak to Ascendance’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, culminating with direct mentorship sessions with the award-winning founders of Ascendance.
“I was just a normal kid who lacked confidence and communication skills,” Mohd Haziq said in a recent statement by Ascendance.
“I didn’t know what I loved to do, nor did I care about what was happening in the world, until I joined an online conference (previously known as the New Age Learner Virtual Conference) by Ascendance that taught me about life.”
“Beyond grateful”
He added: “Thank you everyone, especially my mentor, for guiding me over the past year. I’m beyond grateful for this award. Most importantly, I would like to thank my parents for their endless support.”
Ascendance’s 20-year-old CEO Harsha Ravindran congratulated Mohd Haziq for his achievement, saying he has inspired many students in Malaysia to date to follow in his footsteps.
“He deserves this award because of the hard work and effort he has put in, not just in Ascendance’s initiatives, but also in developing himself and those around him,” she added.
During his acceptance speech, held recently, Mohd Haziq shared the following message with his fellow Gen Zs: “The key to success is to believe in yourself. Do not care what others might say. You have to focus on your goals and have fun.
“I reached where I am today with the opportunities that Ascendance gave me,” he added. “So, take the first step and see where it takes you.”
The Ascendance Founders Award was launched with the aim of recognising young individuals who have the potential to create global change.
Ascendance, which has impacted 35,000 students in 28 countries over the past seven years, brings an entrepreneurial mindset to the classroom in an effort to guide students to be solution-driven and goal-oriented.
Through their workshops and programmes, Ascendance provides equal and equitable access for students to world-class resources to pursue their career and educational endeavours.
Over the years, Ascendance has incubated a number of student-led impact projects and social enterprises, where they guide Gen Zs from the idea stage to the execution stage of their initiatives. – Oct 17, 2022
All photos are credited to Ascendance
