Janushaa makes history again, as first M’sian woman to graduate from US Naval Academy

KUALA LUMPUR – The first Malaysian woman who was accepted into a prestigious military academy in the United States in 2018 has made history again. 

Janushaa Bala Krishnan Muthiah has made the nation proud again by becoming the first ever Malaysian female to graduate from the US Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland, where she spent four years learning and training to be a professional military officer. 

According to a Facebook post by the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) this morning, the 23-year-old youth had undergone training along with 1,085 trainees from the US and 14 trainees from abroad. 

RMN said the Kuala Lipis native’s success in completing her military studies and training at one of the best military training centres in the world proves the ability of young Malaysian women to compete in fields that are pioneered by men.

“The Royal Malaysian Navy will continue to provide support in gender and race equality for such opportunities.

“Hopefully, senior cadet officer Janushaa’s success will attract more youth, especially women, to consider joining the Malaysian Armed Forces in general and the RMN in particular and making it a career option in the future,” it said. 

Besides Janushaa, another Malaysian cadet Putra Nadeem Damanhuri Ahmad Damanhuri also graduated from US Air Force Academy (USAFA). 

The graduation of class 2022 was officiated by US President Joe Biden and was attended by the top US Navy leadership as well as ambassadors and defence advisers from various countries.

In 2018, the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur hosted a ceremony to honour both Janushaa and Putra who made the cut to attend US military service academies.

On Wednesday, four Malaysian cadets were accepted into three renowned US service academies for their class of 2026, making it the highest number of cadets accepted from Malaysia since 2017. 

According to the statement issued by the US Embassy in Malaysia, the four cadets are Edlan Mikyad Ahmad Syamly, Muhamad Danish Imran Zainudin, Qarin Loqman Safriza and Zarif Mohd Zamrin.

Edlan and Zarif, both graduates from Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, will be placed at the US Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York and USAFA in Colorado, respectively.

Meanwhile, Muhamad Danish and Qarin, from the Royal Military College, will pursue their training at USNA.

The quartet will be joining five other Malaysian students undergoing training at the distinguished US service academies, one at USMA and two each at USNA and USAFA. – The Vibes, June 11, 2022