Brownies, Part-time Jobs Funded Dr Nurul Hana's Phd With Upm

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- Hard work pays off. And it certainly did for Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) graduate, Dr. Nurul Hana Zainal Baharin, who persisted with various part-time work to earn tuition fees for her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.

In a statement today, UPM announced that the 32-year-old graduate diligently baked brownies every day to earn an income while pursuing a full-time PhD degree in Medical Microbiology.

"The aroma of brownies was my constant companion while reading journals, and preparing research papers and dissertations. Usually, I will get into the kitchen at 8 pm after finishing my job as a primary and secondary school tuition teacher.

"There are times I have baked brownies until 3 in the morning, especially when there are a lot of orders. My oven is not big, it has only five trays. Sometimes I don't sleep in order to prepare the orders," the statement quoted Dr. Nurul Hana. 

Dr Nurul Hana was among the graduates at the 47th UPM Convocation Ceremony which was held on Nov 25 until today.

Dr. Hana sold more than 3,000 brownies throughout her four-year Ph.D. studies, earning between RM1,000 to RM2,000 per month by selling them online.  

In addition to selling brownies, the Kluang native from Johor also took on other work including proofreading, helping her sister-in-law with surprise gift deliveries, and being a tuition teacher. 

"I am also a part-time lecturer during the weekend for distance education students at the Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam," she said.

-- BERNAMA