By Maryam Nasir
GOMBAK, 20 August 2022: Placed in the Rector’s List of the Department of History and Civilization, Muhammad Nor Aiman Bin Mohd Nor Zaidi felt this graduation marked the end of a journey and the start of another in his life.
Currently pursuing a postgraduate study at IIUM in Master of Human Sciences in a History and Civilization program, he aspired to become a historian, scholar, and an academician in the field of History.
“It will be a strenuous path with a lot of sacrifices and loneliness for a history postgraduate student due to our relatively small numbers, not more than five students per semester or period. But insyaAllah, my friends and I will strive for the best and achieve the achievable despite the hardship.”
He also shared his experience as the President of the Secretariat of History and Civilization (HISTFORIUM) stating that it was not an easy journey as the organization mainly operated physically in the middle of a pandemic.
“It was a tremendous task. As the final year student who needed to finish Final Year Project (FYP), my schedule was packed with a lot of energy consumed, and decision making has been one of the commitments.”
Aiman also pointed out that he was grateful for being part of HISTFORIUM because it gave him many opportunities that he might be seen ungrateful to reject, as he was able to build networks from it.
“Being the person involved in managing the department’s society, you have to deal with most of the department staff. As a result, it is easier to deal with them during my postgraduate study,” he added.
In the interview with IIUMToday, Aiman said, “I know some of us come from different backgrounds and circumstances that has led us to stumble or stuck in our History degree without even the slightest interest to study, and yet we must finish it to complete our higher education obligation.”
Hence, he summarised that finding passion in the field will be the first step towards a successful journey in learning History. “Then, we will have great curiosity which will lead us to the exploration and acquisition of historical knowledge despite being stressed out and tired with other activities, yet due to our passion, it will give us the strength needed to finish the journey,” he ended.***