KUALA NERUS: Age is no barrier for a grandmother, who received her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the age of 81.
Rohani Abdullah or Christine Longuet (pic) from Kampung Pulau Duyong in Kuala Terengganu spent 10 years to obtain the recognition in human ecology and ethnobotany through her thesis, titled “Tempat, Tumbuhan dan Masyarakat di Terengganu; Penilaian Berdasarkan Dua Era”.
Born in Paris, France, Rohani said she began writing her thesis in 2013 with the support of her late husband Wan Othman Wan Abdullah and their eight children.
She said she faced many challenges such as health factors, family problems and the Covid-19 pandemic while working hard to complete it, Bernama reported.
“A study involving two eras indirectly requires systematic comparison over a long period.
“There were times when I almost gave up but I am grateful for the strong support from my family, the experienced young supervisors as well as the assistance from the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) management itself,” she said when met at the 22nd UMT Convocation Ceremony here on Saturday.
Rohani, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Sorbonne University in France, said she intended to pen her autobiography as a legacy for her family and publish it in all the languages she speaks – English, French and Bahasa Malaysia.
“I have written several books before including Amabah An Architect’s Journey (2013) and The Visible Trail of Chang Fee Ming (2000),” said Rohani, who also has a Master’s degree in Architecture from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 2006.
