By Syiqa Suhaimy
GOMBAK, 5 December, 2022: Three graduates who received their awards for Best Student shared their take on how to be successful in their studies in an exclusive interview with IIUMToday.
The graduates, who were on the list for award winners, received their postgraduate degrees at the second session of the IIUM 38th Convocation Ceremony on Sunday (4 December).
The recipients were Tamana Baba from Kulliyyah of Engineering, Nur Farhana Binti Mohamad Zainol from AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, and Kamarulzaman Bin Ali from Harun M. Hashim Law Centre of the IIUM.
When asked about their experiences while studying in IIUM, they all expressed gratitude for the memories they had gained from beneficial knowledge in their respective fields to earning great friends with whom they could share their achievements with.
“It was a life-changing experience,” Tamana said.
“It was satisfying and great. I was not alone. I made great friends who helped each other whenever we felt we were lacking in ourselves. Family is always in our hearts for motivation, and it was great to have many supportive friends,” Kamarulzaman expressed.
Furthermore, when asked about their challenges in achieving great success, all three stated that the pandemic and illness kept interfering their studies.
“However, it was great to suffer as it has increased our skills in coping and managing crises in future,” Kamarulzaman explained.
They further offered unique responses in how to succeed and win awards as they did.
According to Farhana, it was good to renew her intention to study something noble as she believed students will gain from helping people. “Therefore, never study for the title but study because of Allah SWT,” she mentioned.
Since studying requires a lot of energy and stress is undesirable, Kamarulzaman urged students to voice their concerns or opinions to others as a method of de-stressing.
Meanwhile, Tamana said it would be good for one to acknowledge his or her hard work since nothing can replace it after overcoming all challenges in life.
The three graduates expressed reliefs about graduating with the recognition as best students.***