Nur Zahirah Khairudin : She Sold Kuih, Cleaned Motel Rooms And Studied Law

From selling homemade kuih with her family to cleaning motel rooms on weekends, Nur Zahirah Khairudin never let financial challenges stand between her and her dream of becoming a lawyer.

Today, the 25-year-old Malaysian is celebrating a major milestone after being formally admitted as a qualified lawyer at the High Court of New Zealand.

The achievement is especially meaningful for Zahirah, who grew up as the second of seven siblings and came from a modest family background. She holds a double degree in Law and Arts from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, with her Arts degree focusing on Japanese Language and Culture and Linguistics. Her journey, however, was far from easy.

Zahirah’s interest in law began when she was still in secondary school in Malaysia. Joining an English debate club opened her eyes to a field that suited her natural curiosity and love for reading and investigation.

“I have always enjoyed reading and investigating, which further strengthened my decision to pursue this field,” she said.

After completing her SPM, she moved to New Zealand with her parents and siblings, beginning a new chapter of her life in a foreign country.

Unlike students who rely on scholarships, Zahirah funded her studies through a student loan after obtaining permanent resident status. But covering her living expenses while pursuing a demanding law degree meant she had to work alongside her studies.

Her weekends were spent helping her family prepare and sell kuih, while she also took on part-time work cleaning a motel. At the same time, she had lectures, assignments and preparations for her bar examinations to manage.

There were moments when exhaustion took over, but she continued pushing forward.

“It was not easy balancing physical work with a demanding academic schedule, and there were times when I experienced extreme exhaustion,” she recalled.

“But I held on to one principle, there is no easy path to success without hard work.”

For Zahirah, success was never a journey she made alone. She credits her parents for believing in the power of education and supporting her throughout the years.

“Being in a foreign country, I knew I had to work harder and push myself further,” she said.

She also held closely to the values her parents taught her, particularly the importance of prayer, humility and staying grounded.

“I had knowledge, hard work, prayers and the sacrifices of my parents, who always believed that education could change our family's circumstances.”

Zahirah’s achievement has since inspired many Malaysians online, with people praising her determination to keep going despite the challenges she faced along the way.

She is now preparing to begin her legal career at a law firm in Auckland, with plans to specialise in family, coronial and immigration law.

Sometimes, it looks like studying after a long day at work, helping your family on weekends, fighting through exhaustion and continuing to believe in a dream when the journey feels overwhelming. For Zahirah, every sacrifice along the way has now become part of the story that brought her to the courtroom.

Source / Image Credit : NST , mingguanwanita