By Nabilah Mahadzir
GOMBAK, 4 August 2022: “Resilience is critical in performing work as it may assist someone in recovering from stress and adapting to a situation. Being resilient may make a person physically, mentally, and emotionally strong while also increasing personal growth”, the former Editor-in-Chief of IIUMToday, Mr. Aznan Mat Piah, shared at the Farewell Lecture last week.
Entitled My Journey of Resilience: Capturing Wisdom, Mr. Aznan narrated his journey at IIUM, his work experiences, and the importance of being resilient before retiring on 31 July 2022 as a senior academic fellow at the Department of Communication, IIUM.
Reflected on his career at IIUM, he stated that he accepted the offer to teach at the Communication department to share his knowledge and experiences with the younger generation.
“I only expected to spend about five years in the university but it seemed the years had dragged on and my contract was renewed year after year until completion of 14 years.” By 2022, he knew that the time had come to retire.
In his speech, he stated that the experiences he gained while working has helped him become resilient, which allowed him to be patient, learn quickly, and grow wiser over time.
“During my practical at the New Straits Times (NST), Utusan Melayu, and RTM, I encountered prominent journalists such as Samad Ismail, Samad Said, Adibah Amin (NST), Zainuddin Maidin (ZAM), Mazlan Nordin, Chamil Wariya (Utusan Melayu), and Ahmad Talib, who motivated me to remain resilient in my work,” he said.
He further added that his experience has helped him to educate pupils to use their knowledge in making sense of things and reacting to the circumstances to handle different issues and challenges.
Sir Aznan ended his speech by quoting Nelson Mandela, “Don’t judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
Farewell Lecture was organised by the Department of Communication at At-Tabari on 27 July 2022 to honour the retirement of its members namely Prof. Dr. Saodah Wok, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Che Mahzan Ahmad, and Sir Aznan Mat Piah.
The event was attended by Dean of AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS), Prof. Dr. Shukran Abdul Rahman, Head Department of Communication, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeti Azreen Ahmad, and Communication Departmental members.***