Mohd. Awis bin Idris, 23 comes from a family of 12. Awis who was born on the 6th of July 1980, hails from Jelutong, Penang. His father is a Technical Assistant in USM while his mother is a housewife. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) degree from UPM in 2002.
Awis was jobless after graduation and unlike his friends who took up temporary jobs, he decided to go for the ELS-MICELT scholarship. It was not easy for Awis. He had to attend full time classes from 8.30am to 3.30 pm every day, Monday to Friday. In the nights he had to do part-time jobs to support himself.
When he started on the ELS-MICELT scholarship, he was placed in Level 106 of the Certified Intensive English Programme (CIEP). Within 4 months, he completed Level 109, the highest level in this programme. Level 109 is widely regarded as the equivalent of 550 on the TOEFL. This of course means that Awis can in fact gain entry into more than 600 universities in the United States alone!
Awis is indeed a lucky man. Just after he completed his 109, he was offered a job in ICT Learning, a leading multimedia company.