Alam Haikal breaks through autism barrier to ace STPM
The 20-year-old student from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Machang has done what many thought impossible. He not only aced his Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination but also emerged as the school's top scorer with a perfect cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.0.
Opting for business studies, Alam Haikal never saw autism as a hindrance and turned the challenge into fuel that powered his extraordinary focus in academics.
'I've never felt ashamed or less than others. I believe every weakness comes with its own strengths. What I achieved today is nothing but a blessing from Allah.'
'I'm not ashamed of being an autistic child because my mother is the inspiration of my life, and my teachers have been the guiding lights on my path,' he told reporters at SMK Machang today.
According to Alam Haikal, who aspires to be an educator, his success was not solely the result of hard work, but also stemmed from spiritual discipline and exceptional perseverance.
The third of six siblings, he dedicated six hours a day to revision, including a special study session from 3 am to 6 am while the world was still asleep.
'For every subject, I used different learning techniques. I know I'm not the same as others, so I created my own learning style according to my capabilities.
'I had initially targeted a CGPA of just 3.5. I never expected to get all As and be the top student at the school,' said Alam Haikal, who had previously achieved 5As in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
Behind Alam Haikal's success stands a strong mother, Norlaila Ismail, 53, a resilient woman who has raised three children with disabilities alongside her ex-serviceman husband, never once giving up.
'Alam is the first in our family to achieve this level of academic success. I'm very grateful and pray that he continues to succeed,' she said.
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