and ideas . They brought out the best in me ,” she asserts .
Irdina adds that VT had a good mix of about 30,000 students from from different races , ethnicity and countries , and there was respect for diversity and inclusiveness . She cites the example of the wide variety of food from many countries , including ‘ halal ’ food , at the various food courts on campus . Despite being in a male-dominated class , she says there was no discrimination and gender bias .
The study regime at the university was strenuous . There were exams every two weeks in each semester , together with assignments and group projects . But students received a lot of support from lecturers and other students . Irdina benefited from ‘ Office Hours ’ ( where students could connect with the lecturers and get help with coursework ) and study groups .
Besides the mental preparation , Irdina notes that she allocated time for exercise like going to the gym , walking and jogging . To her , good mental and physical health are important for tip-top performance in work and study .
Her consistent study and hard work paid off when she achieved sterling results . She topped
her class , not only with a First Class Honours but also won coveted the Phi Kappa Phi Medallion , an award for graduating seniors with the highest academic standing . Obtaining a CGPA of 4.0 reveals her diligence and consistent performance in all semesters over four years .
On reflection , Irdina is glad she chose engineering and sees immense benefit in her career . “ An engineering background gives you transferable skills . It provides you with a solid foundation to analyse , assess and approach problems systematically . You leverage on data to make decisions . It gives you confidence to handle different variables to come out with the best solution .”
The young engineer had envisioned being in a technical role when she join TNB . Instead , she is currently involve in project management . However , she is happy working with colleagues who have a breadth of experience , working for more than 20 years in the industry . The working environment continues to encourage her to be candid and contribute new ideas while learning on the job . She puts her engineering knowledge to good use in project planning , strategy and stakeholders engagement ~ Inforeach
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