Nurul Asmaa Akmal : She Worked as a Cleaner While Pursuing Her Studies, Today She’s A UM Lecturer

From carrying a vacuum cleaner to building an academic career, Dr Nurul Asmaa Akmal’s journey is a reminder that where you start does not have to determine where you end up.

Before becoming a senior lecturer, Dr Nurul Asmaa spent six years working as a janitor, or as she fondly describes it, an ‘akak cleaner’ who carried a vacuum cleaner around every day.

She worked as a cleaner while continuing her studies, balancing work, education and her dreams of building a better future. Today, at just 30, she has reached another major milestone, becoming a permanent lecturer at Universiti Malaya.

She was initially appointed as a permanent lecturer and, after serving for one year and 10 months, was officially absorbed into the university’s permanent academic position.

For Nurul Asmaa, the achievement is a reflection of what can happen when determination meets opportunity.

“We can succeed if we put in our best effort.”

Her journey has also come full circle in an unexpected way. While she is now an academic, she still has a connection to her days as a cleaner through a part-time cleaning business that she founded herself. Today, her husband manages the company.

Beyond the titles and achievements, Nurul Asmaa credits the people who stood by her throughout the journey, including her family, friends and those who continuously prayed for and supported her.

She also expressed her gratitude to Universiti Malaya and the Akademi Pengajian Melayu for giving her the opportunity to grow and pursue her academic career.

Her story is a powerful reminder that success does not always follow a straight path. Sometimes, it begins with taking on jobs that others may overlook, studying after a long day of work and continuing to believe in a dream even when the destination seems far away.

Today, the woman who once spent her days carrying a vacuum cleaner is standing in a university as a permanent lecturer.

As she puts it:

“I turned ‘maybe someday’ into ‘watch me now’.”

And perhaps that is the most inspiring part of her story, not where she began, but how she never stopped moving forward.