Academically gifted with a twist: Wan Najwa wins KENMS Best Student (Overall) Award

By Husna Fathiyyah

What sets excellent students apart from other students? They surround themselves with beneficial companions, always challenging themselves out of their comfort zone, they work really hard and are academically gifted. These were the qualities that I gathered from the Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences (KENMS) Best Student (Overall) Award winner, Wan Najwa Aliah binti Wan Mohd Sufiyan.

The award for ‘Best Student (Overall)’ was one of the three Kulliyyah-level awards given to exemplary students who showed academic and co-curricular excellence throughout their course of study. Najwa was honoured with the award in the eighth session of the 39th IIUM Convocation Ceremony on 29 November 2023 at IIUM Gombak. To be ranked first out of all 454 KENMS graduates in 2023, undoubtedly, is an incredible accomplishment.

When I probed Najwa about her education background, she answered sheepishly, “Alhamdulillah, I am just a normal student.”

Academically gifted with a twist

But Najwa is an example of an ‘academically gifted student’. Studying has come naturally to her. She had not followed any study routines, nor scheduled her daily life. She had always earned her results with flying colours, in which she managed to get straight As in important national examinations, and also graduated from the IIUM Center of Foundation Studies (CFS) with a CGPA of 3.97.

However, her academic success was definitely not based on pure luck. Najwa was a pure science stream student in secondary school. Science is a study of the physical and natural worlds that can be measured and observed through a series of laboratory experiments, meanwhile economics is a social science study, concerning the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

Jumping ship from science to economics without any prior knowledge was not an easy feat, and Najwa gave credit to her friends for their support. She worked really hard, but it was due to her CFS classmates that came from accounting, business and economic backgrounds that helped her to understand new topics as well.

One of them was Valedictorian, Quratul Ain binti Azmi who was awarded Best Student (Co-curricular) in the same ceremony, and she had been Najwa’s best friend since their high school years in Sultan Alam Shah Islamic College (KISAS). Although Quratul Ain majored in Islamic Finance, it did not pose a challenge for both of them to study together. “Our late night talks can become quite academic,” she laughed.

Pushing her boundaries for character building

Studying was Najwa’s forte from the get-go, but co-curricular activities were not. She had her concerns for not being active in co-curricular activities from early on. “Although I did (study) very well during CFS…I felt that there was something lacking. Since then, I promised myself to be active in clubs and programs,” she said.

Nevertheless, she did well. She was a Subcommittee for IIUM Student Union Education Office 19/20, and the President for Intellectual Youth Club (IYC) 20/21. Being involved with a lot of events at the Kulliyyah and University levels has really helped in shaping her character, “I learnt to be decisive.”

Striving to do even better, Najwa continued to push the boundaries by joining Erasmus, a student exchange program in Turkey, during the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2022. She experienced a lot of ordeals due to the travel restrictions, but it only toughened her even further. While assimilating with the locals, Najwa noticed one important detail, “Turkish people are very proud of their culture and heritage, especially their language.”

After five months of studying in Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Najwa returned home with a spirit set ablaze, to be a student worthy of the ‘International Islamic University Malaysia.’ “From there I learnt that I have to be proud of my identity,” she said. With this newfound motivation, she completed the last semester of her bachelor’s degree with flying colours.

An advice from recent alumni

According to Najwa, the IIUM is a wonderful place to study in. Coming from a student who experienced COVID-19 for two years, she insisted that students should appreciate and grab as many opportunities as possible. Najwa really recommended students to be active in co-curricular activities. According to her, managing events is indeed such a tiring ordeal, however the organizers will feel fulfilled seeing how participants gain new knowledge and skills.

However, she also reminded students to not get overboard with their co-curricular activities. “Think back about our priority. We came here (IIUM) to study,” she said. Hence, it is of utmost importance to surround oneself with good companions, as she remarked, “I am very thankful, because I have a lot of friends that will remind me of my priorities in studying.”

Her favourite quote is taken from the Quran, Surah Najm, verse 39, “That man shall have nothing, except for what he strives for.” All in all, hard work, grit, and perseverance can be observed from this award-winner’s journey. “Strive for your best, put in the effort, and leave the rest to God,” Najwa advised. ***