SECURITY GUARD'S DAUGHTER RECEIVES ROYAL AWARD AT PTSS CONVOCATION

ARAU, Oct 27 (Bernama) -- With a strong desire to change her family’s fate for the better, Lok Mee Wan, daughter of a security guard, excelled in her studies, earning the Royal Award during the first session of the 16th convocation ceremony of the Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Polytechnic (PTSS) today.

The 22-year-old Tourism Management graduate from Kamunting, Perak, also received the Academic and Co-curricular Excellence Award as well as the Director’s Award at the ceremony, graced by the Raja Muda of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail, and the Raja Puan Muda of Perlis, Tuanku Dr Hajah Lailatul Shahreen Akashah Khalil.

Hailing from a humble background, Lok credited her commitment to her studies to the strong support of her father Lok Tart Chon, 59, a security guard at a private company in Kamunting, and her mother, Kanagawaly M. Subramaniam, 64, a housewife, who always encouraged her to pursue success.

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“Throughout my six semesters of study in this field, I consistently made the Dean’s List. I also possess a strong determination to succeed in life,” she told reporters after the first session of the convocation ceremony at the Harumanis Hall, PTSS, here.

Fluent in Bahasa Melayu, Tamil, Mandarin, and English, the second of two siblings shared her passion for tourism and media communication, aspiring to become a broadcast journalist or news anchor.

“While studying tourism at PTSS, we were encouraged to explore other fields. I served as a news producer for the Poli TV News Club at PTSS for three semesters,” she said.

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Lok, who now works as a guest service experience officer at a luxury hotel in Langkawi, said that her highest achievement in media and communication was winning the English Newscasting Online competition at the BudiDarma English Festival 2021 (BUDAEFEST) organised by Universitas Budi Darma in Medan, Indonesia.

“The competition featured participants from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. I was honoured to be crowned champion, representing Malaysia. I also placed second in the Ikon Siarawan programme for two consecutive years in 2021 and 2022,” she said.

Lok, who also runs a small crochet business, expressed optimism that her dual skills in tourism and media communications would give her an edge in facing future challenges.

The convocation ceremony, held over three sessions from today until Tuesday, honours 1,155 graduates receiving diplomas, foundation degrees, and certificates across various Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes.

-- BERNAMA