A particular final year Universiti Malaya (UM) medical student named Subashan Vadibeler has been awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. He will be headed to the UK in the year of 2021 to pursue double master’s degrees that are a Master’s of Science in International Health and Tropical Medicine and also a Master’s of Science in Integrated Immunology. He found out about the amazing news on the 9th of November.
Subashan Vadibeler said, “It’s a great feeling. I called my mum and my sister when I found out”. He shared about his experience during his interview with Rhodes representatives. Throughout the specific interview, Subashan Vadibeler was asked a mix of personal questions and also questions about his career goals. He stated, “The interview went okay, I had a hunch that maybe I had a chance but there were also eight other finalists. I managed to talk to them and they seemed pretty great but it was quite a surprise”.
Rhodes Scholarship which established in 1903 is the oldest international scholarship program in the whole wide world that aims to develop future leaders through postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford. The particular scholarship is highly competitive and provides all expenses for up to four years of study at the prestigious university.
In medical school at UM, Subashan Vadibeler has mostly seen patients with dengue because he worked closely with urban poor communities during his clinical training and is a strong advocate of science for all. Due to that, he wants to further study the mosquito-borne disease. This 24-year-old man from Ipoh mentioned that one of his big dreams would be to eradicate dengue. He mentioned, “I’m hoping to study the immunology of dengue and in future, I hope to eradicate dengue and other neglected tropical diseases and I’m working towards that pathway in my career”.
He also humbly acknowledged all the support and guidance from his university’s medical faculty by saying this opportunity would not have been possible without their help. Prof Datuk Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman who is UM medical faculty dean took to Twitter to share the good news about Subashan Vadibeler. He also said, “I realize that other Malaysian students can’t afford the same privileges so they can reach out to me anytime for help”.
Sources: Twitter Universiti Malaya, Twitter Adeeba Kamarulzaman.