By Aliaa Nur Diyana Mohd Hisham
GOMBAK, 21 August 2022: Two graduates from the Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences (KAHS), Nazrul Azri bin Razali from the Department of Audiology and Nur Fatin Nabiha binti Zali from the Department of Speech-Language Pathology shared their journey as the only student in their departments, after the fourth session of the 37th IIUM Convocation on 14th August (Sunday).
According to Nazrul Azri, he began the first two years of his degree with another male student in the course and they were the only male students since the majority who enroled in the Department of Audiology were female.
Entering the third year, the other male student had taken a study leave due to a health issue which resulted in Nazrul becoming the only male student in the course.
Being the only male student was not easy, especially when it comes to communication. However, he was glad for having supportive female classmates. He managed to overcome his struggles and the stigma of enroling in a female-dominated course when reflecting upon his goal.
“Do not think about the four years of study as the only male student but think about the future. ”
“For me, today’s convocation is a collective effort, not only a result of my effort alone. The guidance received from my female friends was precious. I was blessed with a female clinical partner (classmate) who shared similar viewpoints,” said Nazrul.
He also believed that there will be better demand for male graduates in the field of Audiology. “My hope that this course will be enroled by more male students in future,” Nazrul shared.
Meanwhile, as the first batch in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Nur Fatin Nabiha initially started off her degree with fellow batchmates, which consisted of one male and seven female students including herself.
Unfortunately, she had to retake her clinical-based subject which caused her to extend one semester unlike her batchmates, leaving her alone in the course.
“At first, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know to whom I should seek help from and was feeling very down,” said Fatin.
But with the presence of her close friend from the Department of Audiology, they became each other’s main support system and successfully completed her degree after an additional semester.
“Find at least one person, just one for support, you don’t need more than that,” shared Fatin.
“The person should be the one that we trust, the one that we can rely upon. Be comfortable with this person and trust will come after,” she continued.
Besides, with the positive surroundings and continuous support from her parents and friends, she managed to get back on her feet to complete her courses.
“Whatever we started, we must finish it,” said Fatin to IIUMToday when asked her motivation to complete her degree.
She claimed that it was her decision to enrol the course without any compulsion from her parents. For her, the challenges she experienced taught her that it was not easy to get what she wanted.
Fatin expressed her special moment stepping onto the graduation stage to receive her scroll as a significant mark of her success in completing her degree.***