KUCHING, April 7: Kuching-born Alyssa Yap Xin Yi has made Sarawak proud by being one of six Malaysian students admitted to Harvard University’s undergraduate programme from a pool of 61,220 applicants.
Yap, who will turn 20 this year, said that when she learned she had been accepted into the incoming Harvard College Class of 2026, it was an unbelievable moment for her and her family.
She previously attended SMK Green Road in Kuching and then went on to study A-levels at the Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) in Singapore under an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Pre-University Scholarship.
She is currently doing her internship before beginning her university studies at Harvard.
Yap, like the other five Malaysians accepted into Harvard this year, demonstrated exceptional qualities in both academics and extracurricular activities.
According to a Swinburne University press release, she won her category in the Wildlife Conservation-Swinburne Sarawak English Microfiction Challenge in 2017.
She will be joining fellow Malaysians Chooi Je Qin from Johor, Herman Leong Xin Yang and Ishant Shah from Penang, Carisma Michaela Wong from Sabah, and Lee Ee Jenn from Kuala Lumpur in the Harvard College Class of 2026.
The six Malaysians beat out 61,220 students worldwide who applied and are among only 3.19 per cent who were accepted, or 1,953 students who have the honour of being part of the incoming Harvard College Class of 2026.
Meanwhile, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah also expressed his happiness over the success of Yap and her friends who he said have made Malaysia proud.
Through the official Facebook page of Istana Negara, His Majesty also wished good luck to the group of students.
Additionally, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob congratulated the six students on their success in furthering their studies at Harvard College in the United States, calling it a proud achievement for the country.
“You are the pride of the Malaysian Family (Keluarga Malaysia),” he said in a Facebook post yesterday. — DayakDaily
