39th IIUM Convocation: Muhammad Fitri overcomes challenges to be best student

By Muammar Hadi Marzuki

GOMBAK, 27 November 2023: “I faced profound personal challenges that had a lasting impact on my academic journey,” said the Best Student (Academic) award recipient from the Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology (KICT), Muhammad Fitri Bin Mohd Sultan.

Muhammad Fitri received his Bachelor of Computer Science degree in the third session of the 39th IIUM Convocation Ceremony at IIUM Gombak, yesterday (26 November 2023).

In an interview with IIUM Today, Muhammad Fitri shared that he faced profound personal challenges that had a lasting impact on his academic journey which included his brother suffered from stroke that led to his passing in 2019 as well as the loss of his second mother in 2020.

“The most difficult trial was my brother suffering from severe stroke that left him in a coma until his passing in June of this year,” he said. Muhammad Fitri explained that this served as a devastating blow to his family and affected his mental well-being before he started his Bachelor’s degree in 2019.

He further explained that the loss of his second mother was due to an age-related illness and his mourning of her brought further anguish in the beginning of 2020. For him, “this exacerbated the emotional turmoil within our family.”

“Coping with the emotional devastation caused by these events made concentrating on my academic pursuits an extremely daunting task,” he said. For Fitri, each day was a struggle against grief and despair, making it hard to stay focused.

He also mentioned that the social environment at the university presented its own challenges and that being naturally introverted proved to be difficult. He somehow overcame it and mentioned, “I slowly assimilated into the social structure of the IIUM and managed to carve out my place within the university’s lively community.”

“My parents served as the bedrock of my motivation and their unwavering belief in my abilities and constant encouragement were instrumental in my academic journey,” he said. Fitri also mentioned that during times of self-doubt, his parents’ support provided the much-needed strength for him to persevere.

He also conveyed his deep appreciation for the IIUM in providing crucial support so as to allow him to pursue his education which included financial aid through the IIUM Academic Excellence Awards and IIUM Zakat assistance facility which significantly alleviated the burden of paying his tuition fees.

He then shared that the IIUM instilled a profound lesson in him which depicts how education extends beyond textbooks and classrooms, and added, “It’s about actively engaging with values and principles upheld by the university and embracing these principles daily.”

He advised students to persist through difficulties with consistency and passion when pursuing knowledge. He further explained that, “excellence is a culmination of dedicated efforts rather than an immediate achievement.”

To conclude, he mentioned drawing inspiration from your parents’ hopes and dreams of your success can serve as a catalyst during challenging times and reminded students that the journey to success may be filled with obstacles, but your determination will eventually lead to success. ***