KUANTAN: Choong Wai Kit was only 9 when his father died following a mishap at his workplace, leaving his seamstress mother to take on the role of the breadwinner to support the family.
His mother Yee Lai Shan, 52, would relentlessly work late into the night to put food on the table and ensure proper education for Choong and his elder sister, Wai Teng, who was then 11.
After years of struggle, Yee can finally smile with pride as Choong will not only graduate with flying colours but has also been named as the Royal Education Award (Medal of Excellence) recipient at Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah's (UMPSA) 19th convocation ceremony at the university's sports complex hall in Gambang here tomorrow.
The 24-year-old said his mother sacrificed a lot for the family after his father's death and supported both his sister and him in every part of their life.
He said he was also grateful to his sister.
"After my father died, we relied on my mother's income. When my sister secured a job she started to look after the family and assist me... she supported me when I was undergoing my industrial training in Shah Alam, Selangor, during my final semester.
"Now, I am hoping to secure a job in Singapore. My sister is working there as a sales assistant while my mother still lives in Ipoh.
"Once I secure a proper job, I hope to bring my mother to stay together with my sister and me... I want to take care of them and repay them for supporting me," he told reporters when met at UMPSA today.
The Bachelor of Chemical Engineering with Honours graduate, who scored a 3.92 cumulative grade point average (CGPA), was one of two recipients of the award this year.
The other recipient Fatini Nasuha Ahmad Puad, 23, from Shah Alam, said she was grateful to her father Ahmad Puad Mohd Isa, 60, an auxiliary policeman and housewife mother Mulyani Munir, 58, for their support.
She said she was also grateful for the university lecturers, for their guidance throughout the past four years.
The Bachelor of Manufacturing Engineering Technology (Pharmaceutical) graduate said it was quite challenging when she started the programme in 2020 as it was during the Covid-19 pandemic and the movement control order.
"I studied through online lectures but returned to physical classes when the pandemic improved. Everything went on smoothly and I completed the course with the support from classmates, lecturers and my family," she said.
The duo will be among 5,115 graduates who will receive their scrolls at UMPSA's convocation ceremony.
UMPSA Pro-Chancellor, Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, will grace the convocation ceremony tomorrow.