During the Japanese occupation of Malaya, Sybil provided resistance fighters with medical care and information. She was then imprisoned and inhumanely interrogated by the Japanese army, but to no avail. Sybil is recognised as the only Malaysian woman to ever receive the George Medal of valour for her selfless actions and immense display of courage. 

A trailblazer for women in the Malaysian political scene, Devaki is the first woman to contend in the local and general elections — and emerge victorious in both. She’s also the first non-Malay woman to be awarded the Tan Sri title in 1995.

You may have heard of Pandelela when she secured third place in the 2012 Olympics, making her the first Malaysian female athlete to win an Olympics medal. Did you know she’s the first woman to attain a position in the top three for the 2015 World Aquatics Championship? She was also part of the first ever Malaysian women’s team to win a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics (talk about firsts!).

A degree in architecture and a passion for business brought this mother of three to venture into the massively successful franchise, Nando’s. Under her administration as director & group CEO of Nando’s Malaysia & Singapore, the business has expanded significantly, with over 50 outlets across the country over the course of 23 years.

Amalina obtained 17 A1’s in her SPM in 2004 — a record for the greatest number of A1’s obtained that still stands today, and became the nation’s young prodigy. Fast forward several years later, Amalina obtained perfect A-Level grades, a medical degree, and is currently pursuing a medical PhD at the Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London. While studying, she’s also a Specialist Trainee Surgeon in Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

With a diploma in aeronautical engineering, Patricia enrolled on the Royal Malaysian Airforce Air cadet programme. Upon completion of her training, she took on the role of an operational and tactical lead fighter pilot for a squadron in Kuantan that flies the MiG-29 Fulcrum, making Patricia the first Malaysian and Asian female fighter pilot to fly the jet fighter aircraft.

With relentless support from her mother and encouragement from her uplifting peers, this UiTM graduate is the first woman to command a maritime ship. Aida is now at the helm of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s KM Nyalau, based in Perak.

Kiki is one of the magicians working behind the scenes at Pixar Animation Studios, California. She’s the shading and grooming technical director involved in the shading and surface texture animation process for countless beloved Pixar movies like Finding Dory, Inside Out and Cars 3.

Founder and chief of the Refuge for the Refugees organisation, Heidy is the first and only Malaysian to receive the Queen’s Young Leader award. Her NGO highlights the plight of refugees as well as provides them with support and education through the 35 refugee schools established across Malaysia and Myanmar.

Ever accidentally stumble across a black hole? Astrophysicist and lecturer Dr. Nur Adlyka was part of the team that made an out-of-this-world discovery when they found four enlarging black holes in the galaxy! She’s now one of the principal researchers of the ongoing study and is granted permission to use NASA’s most sophisticated X-ray telescope, the NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) for her continued exploration of the galaxies.