EMPOWERING FUTURES

NOT many young people would fight as hard as Muhammad Firdaus for the chance to go to university.

Born into a B40 household, he grew up watching his stepfather take on odd jobs and long shifts in factories just to survive. For Firdaus, the leap to university felt impossible – there was simply too little to spare for education. But he refused to let his circumstances define him.

To fund his diploma at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), he freelanced as a backend developer for the Johor STEM Hub. Every ringgit earned was channeled straight into his tertiary education.

For extra income, Firdaus sold waffles and kaya balls at a local pasar malam during his semester break.

His determination, however, was unshakable. A self-taught developer, he even built his own event management system – Eventvista – proof of the talent and grit that kept him going when the odds were stacked against him.

That perseverance found its reward when the CIMB Asean Scholarship opened doors of opportunity for him.

With its support, Firdaus is now pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with Honours at UTHM. His dream: to harness the power of digital transformation in driving meaningful change and improving lives.

Firdaus is one of just 11 recipients of the 2025 CIMB Asean Scholarship, a programme established nine years ago with a purpose – to empower deserving Asean youths to chase their dreams and pursue tertiary education at world-class institutions of their choice.

Firdaus’s story is just one among many. Another deserving scholar is Kayla Alandra Wicaksono – a young woman who understands the power of knowledge. As a teenager in her hometown of Jember, East Java, Kayla often grew frustrated at the sight of trash strewn across the streets.

She watched her peers carelessly use single-use plastics, with little thought for the consequences. To her, it wasn’t just about litter – it was about a culture of neglect that threatened the world she and her generation would inherit.

In secondary school, she joined Indonesia’s Green Youth Movement as a student representative, where she rallied more than 100 students in a city-wide clean-up drive – proving that collective action, however small, could create real change. Her fight for integrity grew stronger when she was appointed a Student Anti-Corruption Ambassador, where her flair for storytelling through digital campaigns took root.

She co-founded ACTION, an association for broadcasting students. Under her guidance, the team produced YouTube episodes that attracted over 7,000 views.

Her determination to create change was matched only by her conviction that education could unlock it. However, with her father unemployed and her mother recently retired, affording tertiary education would prove to be a huge challenge.

Her mother has been trying to support her dreams by starting a small student accommodation business – but it is barely enough to make ends meet.

The CIMB Asean scholarship will now enable Kayla to pursue a Bachelor of Business Management at Singapore Management University. She hopes to use this knowledge to empower the millions of Indonesian SMEs still left behind in the digital age.

Reflecting on the scholarship, CIMB Foundation chief executive officer Ahmad Shahriman Mohd Shariff, believes education is one of the most powerful enablers of progress.

“CIMB is deeply committed to empowering the next generation of Asean leaders through widening the access to quality education. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of CIMB Asean Scholarship Programme, we take pride in witnessing bright young talents thrive in their academic journeys, uplift their families and contribute to their communities, in line with our purpose of advancing customers and society,” Shahriman remarked.

More than financial support, he added, the programme nurtures a future-ready, purpose-driven generation equipped to adapt to Asean’s evolving landscape.

“Our aspiration is to continue nurturing the leaders of tomorrow, today,” said Shahriman.

This year, 11 outstanding recipients who embodied the spirit of ‘Kita Bagi Jadi’ – CIMB’s social movement, were chosen from a highly competitive pool of over 6,000 applicants, including from B40 and underserved communities, recognised for their academic excellence, leadership qualities, resilience and grit.

Since its inception in 2016, the scholarship has empowered 144 scholars with a total investment of RM82.4mil – each one carrying forward the ripple effect of opportunity.