KOTA KINABALU: A former Syariah Court lawyer has become the oldest woman to be awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in History at the most recent Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) convocation.
Saidatul Badru Mohd Said Keruak received her doctorate during the 26th UMS convocation ceremony on Saturday (Dec 7).
The 74-year-old mother of three and grandmother of three said age has never been a barrier to achieving her career and life goals.
"It is our determination and hard work that matter because age is just a number," she said after receiving her scroll.
Saidatul hopes her achievement will inspire and encourage others to further their studies and continue from where they left off due to other commitments.
She added that one should not focus too much on age, as the will and spirit to achieve is more important, acknowledging that advancing in tertiary education is challenging.
Sharing her academic journey, the Kota Belud native said she was offered a place at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa but chose History at UMS to return home.
Saidatul completed her bachelor's and master's degrees from Universiti Malaya at the ages of 44 and 55, respectively, after becoming a grandmother.
"I took the opportunity to further my studies at those ages because my children had completed their studies and had careers of their own," she said.
At that time, she had just started working as the secretary at the Chief Minister’s office under Tun Mustapha Harun in 1970.
Saidatul thanked her children and grandchildren for their support during her doctorate studies, as they were her biggest encouragement.
Earlier, she was among the 359 graduates to receive their scrolls from the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sabah Tun Juhar Mahiruddin during the convocation ceremony.
