KUALA LUMPUR: Even though there were no beloved parents by their side to accompany them to the summit of their academic journey, three Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) graduates knew their parents would be proud when they climbed the ivory tower to received their scrolls in the field of science at the 47th UPM convocation second session yesterday.
Taking the road less travelled was a graduate in Bachelor of Science in Aquaculture (Hons), Fatin Fadhlina Mat Desa, 25, who lost her mother Ramelah Said to colon cancer just last year. She admitted it left an impact on her but persisted in the face of setbacks to fulfil her mother’s wish for her to obtain a degree.
“Honestly, at first I couldn’t accept the loss of my mother because she was one of the catalysts for me to continue my studies and it was my late mother’s desire to see one of her children secure a degree,” said Fatin, who lost her father too when she was still in primary school.
Regarding her degree, the UPM Faculty of Agriculture graduate said it will benefit the maritime industry to meet the needs of today’s agricultural sector.
“I admit that not many people know about this field but in this programme, one is exposed to theoretical and practical skills in the field of aquaculture which is of universal importance in the issue of food security,” she said, which was shared in a statement by UPM.
Graduating with a degree in Bachelor of Biological Sciences (Hons), Noor Farah Adilah Mat Yusof, 23, who was under great duress with the loss of both parents in the same year, also shared her hardships, especially in finance.
But with perseverance and the help of a close-knit family, it turned out that the challenge was only a temporary obstacle.
“My late mother died of lung cancer in early 2018 and then my late father died suddenly in the middle of 2018 and their loss affected me greatly.
“At the beginning of the semester, I faced financial difficulties to pay my tuition fees, but I am grateful that my uncle and auntie helped a lot in channelling financial aid until the second semester when I managed to secure a scholarship from Kuok Foundation Berhad,” she said.
Meanwhile, Bachelor of Science in Statistics (Hons) graduate Nurul Islam Abdullah, 23, who lost both her parents when she was still a child, never thought of giving up because she wanted to prove that her status as an orphan was not an obstacle to achieve success in the pursuit of knowledge.
“I lost my mother Sarimah Zakaria to kidney disease when I was only three years old and my father Abdullah Ahmad Nasruddin too to a stroke when I was eight so I am grateful that my two sisters took care of me even though they did not have regular jobs at the time.
“One of the things I will remember for the rest of my life was a dear sister’s sacrifice when she got an offer to continue studying and used the funding from the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) to support me,” she said.
Fortune is now smiling on Nurul Islam, she managed to get a job as an executive marketing officer in a private company and wishes to repay all the sacrifices her sisters Nurul Ehsan and Nurul Iman have made. – BERNAMA
