Woman of The Month : Maria Elena

"...Confidence does not come from physical attractiveness, it comes from within, it comes from you when you respect yourself."

Judging from a stereotypical mindset of how engineering graduates lead their lives, people may perceive them as a hardworking person who spends 99.9% of the time doing research and swimming in a pile of engineering books. But for Maria Elena, that's not really the case!

Smart, fun and witty - Maria Elena Zarul leads two lives that are completely the opposite. A graduate of Petronas University of Technology, Maria may seem like an ordinary engineering graduate to some people, however to those who are active in the blogging world (like us!), the name Maria Elena will definitely ring a bell!

Maria Elena Zarul, famously known as Maria Elena, is a dedicated engineer by day and an awe-inspiring blogger-slash-YouTuber by night. Maria is the owner of peliks.blogspot.com as well as the quirky personality behind shortnap, Maria's very own YouTube channel.

"I'm the third of four siblings and the only girl. Because I have three brothers, the only expressive outlet I have is through writing."

Maria's "Hijab Chill" video on YouTube scored a huge hit with over 640,000 viewers while her Facebook page, Maria Elena Is Greek Helen holds over 100,000 fans in total. With that record in her pocket and engineering as her full time career, there is no doubt that Maria has the best of both worlds in her hands.

WoM: Briefly tell us about yourself. What do you do and tell us about your blog / YouTube account.

Maria Elena: I'm Maria and I'm a graduate of Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) in chemical engineering, major in Petroleum Engineering. I'm the third of four siblings and the only girl. Because I have three brothers, the only expressive outlet I have is through writing. I used to keep diaries and I used to play by myself because my brothers didn't wanna play with me so, because my family always move houses and all I kept losing my diaries. So, when blogging was introduced, of course I signed up, and I started making videos because some things are easier shown rather than written. And that's when I started making videos.

WoM: You are leading two lives that are totally the opposite (engineering & social networking), how do you find time to balance them both?

Maria Elena: Planning time is easy once I know my priority. So, my priority is of course my full time job which is engineering. If and when I have time and things to share, then I'll just put it out through my blog or if I have more time, I'll consider making videos.

WoM: If engineering didn’t work out for you, what other opportunities do you think you will end up with?

Maria Elena: If engineering didn't work out for me, I will probably open up a travel agency. It has always been a dream of mine to be like Ian Wright of Globe Trekker, so maybe I'll start doing that if engineering doesn't work out. But you know, the sky is the limit, I can probably be a lecturer or a motivational speaker or a business woman. Anything that goes, that comes, I’ll try my best in anything.

WoM: You are considered new to wearing the Hijab (scarf), how did you first feel about wearing it in front of your friends, family and the public? How do you feel now?

Maria Elena: The first time I donned on the Hijab, I was worried mainly because I didn't know if my family could accept it. But Alhamdulillah my family supported me 100% and also, since I started wearing it, I learn to love more about Islam. I've learned so many things, many lessons in life. I've met people who have introduced many good things to me, who have taught me many things. InsyaAllah, I'll progress towards goodness and I'll try my best to spread the love to others as well.

WoM: What can you say about the importance of education for the women nowadays?

Maria Elena: Education is extremely important these days, both conservative and liberal. Conservative education begins at home, where parents teach the children in traditions, moral values and principles where as liberal education can be obtained when you are studying in school or even from reading books. So, knowledge is really important and it's up to the individual to have the will to want to learn. As a Muslim, the Azan that sounds five times a day repetitively reminds us to "Hayya alal Falah", which means "to come to success". So it's our responsibility as a person, as a Muslim to work and do our best towards success.

WoM: Lastly, is there any message or advice that you would like to share with all theyoung women in Malaysia?

Maria Elena: My advice to everyone is firstly, to learn to know strength and independence, to follow what's right and avoid what's wrong, to respect our parents, respect each other, and respect ourselves. Be patient and kind, and value experiences and knowledge. Try not to conform as account to the media's idea of beauty because we are already beautiful the way we are. And confidence does not come from physical attractiveness, it comes from within, it comes from you when you respect yourself.