Our Story

"I joined USMi in February 2022 and I've learned a lot of new things. I've gained new experience in handling events, designing and few more other aspects. I was actively involved in a few events such as Ramadhan football championship, USMi iftar and USMi Eid gathering.My USMi friends and leader are also very supportive and I love the environment here. I hope that I can continue to give my best as an USMi exco as long as I can."

Jaswinder Kaur,
BS Pure Biology.

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"I felt lonely when I was leaving my family and friends in Nigeria to start my Ph.D. journey at USM. Surprisingly, I met wonderful USM International Students who became my extended family in Malaysia and made USM a happy home for me.
I joined the USMi leadership after observing its activities in uniting the USM International Community devoid of any barriers and serving as a bridge between the students and University Management through IMCC. I feel honoured to be part of this great team of USMi leadership working together to maintain a conducive learning and friendly environment for the International Students to achieve academic excellence at USM, the Apex University in Malaysia."

Rilwanu Isah Tsamiya,
PhD Molecular Pathology.

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"In the peak of pandemic, USM approved my application and offered me admission in Ph.D. microbiology, that was itself a blessing. I am not afraid about new things, but the uncertainty that COVID brought us, I was not much optimistic yet I was excited to get new experiences, and USM offered me to experience altogether a new country,

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"Joining USMi has been a goal of mine since my first day at USM, and it became a reality in my third year of studies. Even though it was too late, I obtained many memories that I would cherish for the rest of my life. I had the pleasure of meeting wonderful, family-like folks. We exchanged emotions and efforts while participating in a variety of activities that helped me grow as a person."

Amer Bin Hajeb,
BE Chemical Engineering.

"Being an Exco for USMi for the past year and now is a great pleasure met lots of new people and explored new cultures but most importantly managed to find time to contribute in USMi’s events and try my best to help other students whenever my help was needed.
USMi bonding session at CEMACS with other Exco’s is one of these events that I would always cherish and it surely has great memories in my mind."

Ibrahim Al-Talib,
Doctor of Dental Surgery (Dentistry).

"USMi is one of the highlights of my study at USM. It has given me an avenue to meet and network with students from different countries. It created that balance I needed between my academic and social life. The various students’ activities organized were excellent moments to unwind while rubbing minds with students from different cultures."

God’swill Nathan Sambo,
MSc Environmental Science.

"As an Exco, we are a group of active current students who volunteer to help create development opportunities for USM student groups as well as aid with their function. We make decisions on matters that directly affect student groups and do this on behalf of all groups. Being an Exco can give you the opportunity to develop your workplace skills in a voluntary role as you regularly meet and debate topical USM student group issues, create agendas, take minutes, and have your voice heard. This is a space where your ideas can come to life with the guidance and support of both the current USMi Activities and the Student Groups. An excellent CV opportunity, put your passions into practice and run for an Exco position. I am honored to be an Exco at USMi for 1 year and I had a great experience with my team performing different activities such as the Iftar party 2021, Ping pong championship 2022, football championship 2022, Meet and Greet international students in Malaysia 2022, and various team-building trips. I learned a lot from my teammate, and I got more familiar with different countries' cultures."

Nazila Oladzadabbasabadi,
PhD Food Science.

"I am Hu Xiaoling, also called Nancy, I come from China, I major in Higher Education. After coming to USM, the most valuable and unforgettable memories are the life in USMi, we hold the football championship together, spend whole night and have nice vocation together with most of USMi members in the National Park, we celebrate Malaysia traditional festivals here, we enjoy food here, all of those precious memories are because of USMi, because of Mr Aizat, and Mrs Fadilla, Mr. Abdullah and all the Excos, USMi members. I feel the multi-culture, understand the different religions here, I sincerely appreciate for all of those when I came here, I am really grateful for USMi."

Hu Xiaoling,
PhD Leadership and Governance of Higher Education.

"My Ph.D. journey in Malaysia was filled with events that could not be summarized in a short tale. But I can say that it was a scientific adventure full of outstanding and unforgettable experiences.

I learned a lot about culture being a member of the student group known as USMi. I worked as a sports official (in charge of sports) at the university during my first year with this group. The following year, I was chosen as president of international students at the university.

My research journey was packed with new discoveries on a scientific level. I've published scholarly research articles in high-impact journals, which has helped me keep up with the newest scientific developments and progress in my career.

Malaysians are my favorite people. Their humility, excellent values, and lovely smile set them distinct.

I want to express my gratitude to all my Malaysian professors, friends, and international colleagues. I always wish them the best of luck."

Dr. Mohammed Adil Khalaf,
PhD Civil Engineering.

Last year Feb I was new here and that was my first time travel overseas. Everything is new to me, I was born in the central area of China, Henan province, where I was born and study during my life. One day I received the invitation email of the registration for USMi, I was exciting because finally I find a community to lead me to a real international life——the first first month of my life in USM is no differ with before in China——hangout with Chinese and speak Chinese, and value everything in my Chinese aspect.

I was also wandering because I am not so dare to join such a community——what if I couldn’t deal with others from other country? what if I perform bad and lose face of my country (we like to think like that) ? Actuality in the first AGM I feel so embarrassing because of I could just understand just half of the contents of the speeches, but with the help of Nancy, a former USMi Chinese Excos, I braved me to introduce myself and sing a traditional Opera——at that time, I would never image next AGM I will be the organizer and the speaker.

After that, I started my first step to the world, sometimes in the USMi meetings I was the only Chinese, I was feel scared but there are always friendly Excos, say hi and start to communicate. In the team building to Kelantan, I made more friends and got to get used to hangout and communicate with international students, we walk or drink coffees together, sharing different experiences and ideas of political, economic, religious, et al. For example, we find a lot similarities between Islamic and Taoism (A China origins religion). “Without the real communicate, there will be none real cultural exchange”——That‘s what I said in Postgraduate Orientation as a representative of USMi member.

Also something funny just happens, last year there was a international food festival in Engineering campus. My friend Seif Joul call me to help to find someone to run a food booth of China, I misunderstood it because of my bad English hearing, I thought he asked me to organize one by myself. Since Seif is a nice guy and I want to have some good memories in campus, I pressured all my roommates to help to build the booth and cook for the event.” All USMi Excos in Engineering campus just said: “you are so responsive.” what can I say?”Thanks for my English bad”.

After all, in 2024, with the generosity of Dr.Sya, Ms Clare and Priya, there is a chance for me to be the Secondary General of USMi, and I meet so many new friends with leaderships and capacity, we started our new journeys and keep making history, see you in next story.

——李金赫（Li Jinhe）

My experience with USMI has been a meaningful addition to the many experiences I've had throughout my life. It served as a form of compensation for the bullying I faced from students in my home country due to my age. I am grateful to the entire USMI community for treating me with respect and appreciation, transcending any age differences. I hold deep respect and gratitude for my fellow students from Malaysia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and a few from Arab backgrounds, with whom I share a bond of brotherhood, regardless of our diverse religions and beliefs. I also want to thank Dr.Sya and her team for their support and encouraging my participation in all activities, even as I approach my final year of study. It pains me to think that I had little knowledge about USMI, despite the presence of Iraqi students who did not share information about this community, which offers such expansive opportunities for personal and academic growth.

I discovered USMi through a friend who assisted with IMCC-related issues. My name is Abdul Rasheed, a Ghanaian research student at the School of Industrial Technology. Initially, my focus was on completing my lab work and returning to Ghana, but living in the international hostel (BFPP) changed my perspective.

Regularly attending the masjid led me to become the imam, which brought me closer to other residents and involved me in resolving hostel issues. A friend suggested I join the MPD of Bakti, which I did, and later, I was introduced to USMi, where I eventually joined the CPR team.

Though my background is in laboratory analysis, my involvement with USMi sparked an interest in IT. I've learned new skills, like designing T-shirts with Canva and exploring website creation. Being part of USMi has also helped me interact with diverse people, fostering mutual respect for different cultures. I'm eager to continue growing and learning within the CPR team, particularly in it.