Diyanah Aqidah – TeamSG Taekwondo Exponent

Image of Diyanah Aqidah as a TeamSG Taekwondo Athlete

Bachelor of Sports Studies & Marketing (Hons) Degree, University of Stirling (UK) offered through SIMGlobal Education, Singapore

Diyana Aquidah is our national Taekwondo athlete specialising in Poomsae, and won 2025 SEA Games Gold in the Mixed Poomsae Pair. She graduated with first-class honours from the University of Stirling's Sports Studies and Marketing degree programme (offered through SIM Global Education) in 2025, where she was named class valedictorian.

Having completed her Higher NITEC from ITE in 2021, Diyana was determined to pursue higher education in sports marketing while maintaining her commitment to elite Taekwondo competition. She needed to find pathways that could accommodate the unpredictable demands of international training camps and competitions.

Diyanah applied for the scholarship and after a round of interviews, Diyanah secured a scholarship from the University of Stirling. The University of Stirling demonstrated exceptional flexibility in accommodating Diyanah's Taekwondo commitments. When she needed to travel overseas for competitions and training camps, the university provided recorded lectures and seminars to ensure she never missed crucial academic content. spexEd PO coordinated closely with university administrators to facilitate online examinations, allowing Diyanah to complete assessments while travelling internationally. Clear guidelines for leave of absence applications enabled proper planning and coordination between her intensive training schedule and studies.

This comprehensive support enabled Diyanah to achieve remarkable success in both academic and sporting arenas, graduating with first-class honours and as class valedictorian in 2025 whilst maintaining her training commitments and achieving gold medal success at the 2025 SEA Games.

Reflecting on her journey, Diyanah shared: "Both spexEd PO and the University of Stirling administrators listened to my specific needs and helped me achieve my education goals while pursuing sport. Their customised and responsive approach helped me tremendously."