By Sarah Yusoff
GOMBAK, 18 August 2022: Having a firm grip on patience and perseverance is pertinent when faced with life challenges, said Wan Maisarah Binti Wan Azhar, from Kulliyyah of Information and Technology (KICT), in her valedictorian speech in the eighth session of the 37th IIUM Convocation.
The Best Student in Academic award recipient highlighted the recent challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. She illustrated the situation when students were forced to adopt online learning, which was not easy as some struggled with poor internet connections while others had a hard time balancing their studies and family issues at home.
In her opening speech, Maisarah congratulated her fellow friends who were also graduating and thanked them for four years of amazing experiences and memories.
“Representing all graduands, I would like to thank all parents out there for their continuous support and advice. For my mother and father especially, thank you for supporting me and being understanding of my busy schedule,” she said.
She also expressed her gratitude to the lecturers for all their hard work and effort in educating students, thus shaping them to become better people.
“I remember the first three years of our study period filled with back-to-back lectures, assignment deadlines to meet, and the joy of joining programmes,” she reminisced her years as IIUM student.
In her final year, the COVID-19 pandemic took over the world, which forced educational institutes to close down, and online learning was made compulsory for all levels of education.
“Who would’ve thought we would lose our senior year to a virus? We’ve lost the opportunity to celebrate the last days of our degree together, have a grand dinner, and even lost the opportunity to bid a proper farewell,” she added.
“Regardless of what happened, everyone will now enter a new chapter in life. We, graduates, should always be kind to one another, and more importantly, be kind to yourselves,” she concluded. ***