PARENT'S FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES SERVED AS INSPIRATION FOR CHANCELLOR'S GOLD MEDAL AWARD WINNER SYAFIQAH NABIHAH

ARAU, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- Witnessing the financial pressure faced by her parents, to the point where her mother had to pawn her jewellery, served as a driving force for Syafiqah Nabihah Massuwan, 23, to study diligently and successfully win the Chancellor's Gold Medal Award at University Malaysia Perlis’ 20th Convocation Ceremony, here today.

Syafiqah Nabihah, who hails from Perak and the eldest of seven siblings, said her mother's jewellery had to be pawned at the time because they needed money to prepare for her, a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with Honours graduate, to continue her studies at the university.

The Perakian who obtained a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.93, said that as the eldest child, she fully understood the financial problems burdening her parents, given that her father, Massuwan Marzuki, 48, was the sole breadwinner as a general assistant, while her mother, Malinda Basri, 45, was a full-time homemaker.

"That is a sacrifice I can never forget. It became the strength for me to continue studying hard because I did not want to waste their efforts," she told Bernama after the first session of the convocation ceremony at the Tuanku Chancellor Hall.

The Raja Muda of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail, presented the award to Syafiqah Nabihah.

Syafiqah Nabihah mentioned that she worked part-time selling packed rice (nasi bungkus) for a vendor beneath the residential college block whenever she had no classes or after evening classes during her third year of study at UniMAP to cover her own expenses.

"I am also grateful to be eligible to receive the MyBF Scholarship from Tenaga Nasional Berhad Foundation every semester as a child from the B40 group because it helped me greatly throughout my four years of study," said the student, who has six younger siblings aged between seven and 21.

Regarding the challenges during her studies, she nearly gave up early on because it was difficult to adapt to the engineering field and she did not have a strong foundation in technical subjects, as she was a Pure Science stream student during her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia level.

"The situation became even more challenging when my first year of study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing me to attend online classes with poor internet access in the village. To get a stable internet connection, I had to study by the seaside behind the house. If there was a quiz at night, I would sit by the drainage ditch because the internet was stronger there," she said.

Syafiqah Nabihah said she once cried because she failed to complete an assignment given by a lecturer during a practical session in the lab and often lagged behind her peers, but her lecturers and friends helped her greatly in successfully overcoming that challenge.

An active participant in co-curricular activities at the university, Syafiqah Nabihah said she hopes to work in the renewable energy sector, either solar or biomass, and within the next five years, have a stable career to benefit her family, community, and country.

-- BERNAMA