Azriel Tan received Royal Academy Award (Medal of Excellence)

Translation by: DR. ROZAIMI ABU SAMAH, FACULTY OF CHEMICAL AND PROCESS 
                          ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
 
‘You only live once, live life to the fullest’ is the philosophy held by the recipient of Royal Academy Award (Medal of Excellence), Azriel Tan Zhe Khen, 24, the son of 54-year-old Tan Chong Phor, who works as an administrator and his mother Leong Wai Choy, 53, who is a housewife. 

This Penangite holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Graphics & Multimedia Technology) with Honours from the Faculty of Computer Systems & Software Engineering with a CGPA of 3.88. 

In addition to receiving the Dean’s Award for each semester of his study at UMP, the eldest of the two siblings was also a top student in school with a CGPA of 3.42 in the Malaysian High School Certificate (STPM) and 3A+, 2A, and 4A- in the Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM). 

His academic excellence did not impede his continued involvement in association and club activities. 

Throughout his study years in UMP, he held various positions in association and club activities, including being appointed as the Multimedia Exco for Kelab Alam Sekitar & Lestari (EcoSiswa) UMP. He was responsible for planning and managing multimedia activities and promotion such as a visit to National Park in 2016 and Earth Week in 2017.

He was also the Head of Publicity Unit of the Pahang Engineer Run Program in 2018. His active involvement in co-curriculum activities has helped hone his leadership skill as well as highlight his potential and self-confidence. 

This is evidenced by his appointment as the chair of the organising committee of the talk show ‘ICT ke Arah Hijau’. 

He was also active in sports activities by participating in various running events such as Sky Run, Crazy Run, Neon Night Run, Splash Run, Titan Challenge: Survival of The Fittest, and Run for Life. 

In addition to his hobbies, he also participated in hiking activities by joining the ‘Hiking in Style’ programme in Bukit Broga. 

He also took part in several programmes to increase his knowledge such as Industrial Talk in conjunction with the International Fiesta (2017): Mobility for Employability, Microsoft Campus Day (2017), Town Hall Forum: TN50 and Students, and cultural events such as Chinese New Year, Lantern Festival, Winter Solstice, Drum Night Carnival, Festival of Light, and Hanabi Night (2016). 

His most exciting experience during his term as a UMP student was when he successfully presented his final year project entitled ‘Cloud-Based Intelligent Waste Management Robots for Open Public Spaces’. 

Graduating from UMP has provided very invaluable experience. To him, UMP is an institution that offers equal opportunities for all students to acquire and master knowledge and skills, and train themselves to be more independent and mature physically and mentally. 

Adhering to the principle of ‘Meeting the challenge with dedication and not giving up’ and his strong desire to become an information technology expert, he is now pursuing a master’s degree in Computer Science at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). 

He hopes that all the knowledge gained could be leveraged to assist in the development of information technology in the country. 

He hopes to continue to contribute his services and reward his parents who have been the pillar and catalyst for every success he has achieved.