Jubilant: Rasidah (centre) with Prof Lee (left) and TAR UMT Faculty of Accountancy, Business and Finance dean Dr Chow Poh Ling.
RASIDAH Abdullah’s life as a stateless individual had often been marked by challenges, including uncertainty over whether she would be allowed to further her studies.
When she was accepted into Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT), she doubled down, making full use of the opportunity to pursue a Bachelor of Finance and Investment (Honours) degree.
Her resilience and hard work earned her the President’s Award and the Public Bank Excellence Award (Finance Category) during the convocation ceremony held at the varsity’s Kuala Lumpur campus recently.
“My academic journey had been very challenging. I was nervous about whether I would be able to pursue my tertiary education due to my status. This was one of the reasons why I worked so much harder in university. I did not want to waste this opportunity and disappoint myself, my family and friends, who put so much faith in me,” she said in a press release.
Currently a full-fledged Malaysian citizen working as a budget analyst in the financial technology sector, Rasidah expressed gratitude for the varsity’s belief in her.
“Its founding principle that education should be accessible to anyone regardless of background allowed me to fulfil my dream of graduating and securing a pathway to a good career,” she said.
Meanwhile, Lo Yean Meow also showed exceptional persistence in his pursuit of tertiary education.
Drawn by TAR UMT’s lifelong learning philosophy, he pursued a Master of Counselling and graduated at the age of 70.
“I provide counselling services on a voluntary basis to keep myself active and sharp after retirement. The Master of Counselling qualification seemed like a natural decision because it would help me understand how to help people even more effectively moving forward,” he said of his tertiary choice.
Conceding that the journey to obtain his scroll was “definitely not easy”, he credited the conducive environment and unconditional support from the academic staff for making it an unforgettable experience.
The convocation ceremony, held from Dec 20 to 23, was presided over by TAR UMT president Prof Datuk Dr Lee Sze Wei, who handed graduation scrolls to 97 postgraduates and 4,051 bachelor’s degree graduates.
“TAR UMT will always continue to uphold the pledge of its founders to grant access to education to anyone regardless of background, creed or race, so that graduands can have a shot at enriching their lives and future.
“I hope all our graduands will take the values, skills and knowledge they obtain here and make a mark on the world, help build a sustainable world, and lead by example by contributing back to society,” he said.
For the year 2025, the university produced a total of 12,334 graduates across its campuses nationwide.
