Noor Syafiqah Ahmad Sanusi- December 8, 2021

Noor, born in Qatar in 2000, grew up in Pasir Mas, Malaysia, in a community with a mix of Malay and Chinese populations. She has four older sisters and grew up learning from them, particularly bonding with her closest-in-age sister. Noor describes her experience in the Malaysian education system, which focuses on teaching in Malay and includes different grade levels compared to the U.S. She enjoyed math but faced challenges with English. Noor attended a competitive boarding school in Malaysia, preparing her for university. She earned a scholarship to study at Penn State University, becoming the first in her family to study abroad. While her parents were proud, her mother had concerns about Noor adjusting to life in the U.S. Despite finding the scholarship application and interview process difficult, Noor found it to be a rewarding experience.

For more information about this collection please visit the Pennsylvania State University international student oral history collection.