PETALING JAYA, July 8 — Beauty queen and singer Soo Wincci was recently crowned with two titles in the Malaysia Book of Records after securing her fifth academic degree.

Her recent graduation from the Berklee College of Music Valencia campus makes Soo the record holder for Most Academic Degrees Achieved By A Beauty Queen and Most Academic Degrees Achieved By A Recording Artist.

The past two years have not been easy for the 33-year-old, who confessed to facing several personal challenges while she was completing her post-master’s fellowship in live music production in Spain.

"There were times where I felt like giving up because there were too many problems to endure but I knew that whatever I was studying, I had to see it through to the end.

"Don’t be afraid to fall and always learn to rise again even though it might not be easy, especially if you are away from your home country,” she told Malay portal mStar.

Along with her recent achievement, Soo also holds a law degree from the University of Reading, a master’s degree in music production, innovation and technology from Berklee College of Music, an MBA from the University of Sunshine Coast, and a PhD in business administration from Open University Malaysia.

The winner of Miss World Malaysia 2008 isn’t stopping there as she has plans to pursue a second PhD in artistic production at another Spanish university this September.

She hopes that her efforts can inspire Malaysians to see learning as a lifelong journey.

"Ever since I went into the creative field, I’ve always wanted to make my country proud on the world stage and I’ve been getting there step by step with no shortcuts.

"Although education isn’t always everything, there’s no doubt it’s important in life. I was not born ‘smart’ or lucky but still, I had to study.

"I hope more Malaysians will pursue higher education because knowledge is like a guiding light in this life.”