Translated by Mahaliza Mahadhir (mahaliza@uum.edu.my)

SINTOK – Who would have guessed that the recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Gold Medal Award as well as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s (Academic and International) Award, Mr. Farouk Baqi Zahid was a part-time worker who earned money to cover his expenses while he was attending university.

This graduate of the Bachelor of Islamic Finance and Banking (BIFB) programme was born into a modest family and has worked as a school dormitory worker, construction worker, oil palm plantation worker and so on.

This member of the 4th cohort of UUM Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS), who is determined to change the fate of this family, studied diligently and remained consistently in his academic pursuits in order to successfully retain the Dean’s List Award for eight consecutive semesters.

“Poverty is not a reason to seek attention while success is ours if we are determined and strive hard to achieve success,” he said.

Mr. Farouk mentioned that he consistently focused and took concise notes while attending lectures throughout his studies.

The youngest child has a way of giving parents and families the hope that they need to know that poverty is not the end of life.

“Now I work as a billing specialist at a leading multinational oil production company from France, which is SLB formerly known as Schlumberger”, he said.

His experiences during COVID-19 only matured him, but he also felt grateful to be with the students and staff who were on campus when the government announced the Movement Control Order.

After a one-year delay, the graduands of this UUM campus returned to receive their respective degrees during the convocation.