By Husna Fathiyyah
PAGOH, 18 December 2020: Committing into volunteerism while juggling full time studies may sound impossible, but for Noor Shafiqah Kassim it is a living proof of the saying, “When there is a will, there is a way.”
Noor Shafiqah Kassim shared her journey as a full time student-volunteer with panelist, Dr. Khairun Najiah Ahmad and moderator Farah Khairil in a session “CSRTV: Students and Volunteerism” on Thursday (17 December). Since then, she made a commitment to volunteering throughout her academic journey.
In this two-hour virtual session, Shafiqah explained that her love for volunteering was cultivated by a fellow friend back in 2015, during her foundation study at University Malaysia Sabah.
Currently, Shafiqah is pursuing a master’s degree in Psychology in the same alma mater, and she is also appointed as head of operation management of her non-governmental organisation, MyFundAction Sabah.
Commenting on her average foundation study result, Shafiqah explained that it is definitely not easy for a student to be fully committed to volunteering.
However, she made a breakthrough in her undergraduate study by scoring Dean’s list in one semester, and graduated with first class honours.
She highlighted several points for prospective volunteers to take note. She started by stressing the importance of choosing only one society and made full commitment to it in order to develop oneself.
Shafiqah further explained the importance of understanding a society’s vision and objective. Using her own experience, she stated that MyFundAction was aligned with her interest in youth development and humanitarian mission.
Academic wise, she pointed out that her academic success was indebted to the NGO’s initiative in maintaining academic performance for students-volunteers.
However, Shafiqah also explained that a good connection with fellow academic-driven students in the society is important as they can help each other in studying.
Shafiqah futher elaborated on the importance of time management. She explained that understanding time management will help in prioritising task and avoiding procrastination.
Lastly, Shafiqah reminded that all students should possess a strong “big why” or motivation that will help them to focus on their activities.
Her advices were agreed by fellow panelist Dr. Khairun Najiah Ahmad, a senior lecturer of UiTM Puncak Alam.
According to Dr. Khairun, students who can manage both extracurricular activities and academic life tend to excel in their classroom.
Dr. Khairun also reminded that a good performance in volunteerism will be rewarded post study, especially in the workforce.
This programme is the first virtual sharing for CSRTV series for “We Care We Share” week (17 – 19 December 2020) initiated by Corporate Social Responsibility bureau under Mahallah Zaid bin Harithah.
“CSRTV: Student and Volunteerism” was streamed live on Mahallah Zaid Harithah Facebook group.***