JOHOR BAHRU, 18 Nov – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) holds a special place in the hearts of its graduates as their time in this university has been a remarkable journey of personal, academic growth and cultural diversity.
As the graduates embarks the next chapter in their lives, these peoples will be carrying the UTM’s values of curiosity, dedication and collaboration whether in academia, industry, research or elsewhere for the community betterment.
The graduates’ representatives of UTM 67th Convocation ceremony, Dr. Khasturi a/p Ramalingam said that UTM holds a special place in their hearts as a former student as this university has provided them with a magnificent journey in their life as a whole.
“Today our dream came true. We did it. We accomplished a major milestone in our lives, a university graduation. Today also marks a proud moment in our academic journey filled with challenges, victories and transformative experiences.
“We spent extra-long hours drowning in extensive research, trying hard to make sense of experimental data and studying a lot to put all these together into an academic outcome,” said Dr Khasturi.
She was saying this at the end of the first session of UTM’s 67th Convocation ceremony which took place at Dewan Sultan Iskandar, Johor Bahru campus this afternoon. Dr Khasturi graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Educational Psychology and also the recipient of the Chancellor Awards.
Also attending the ceremony were the Permaisuri of Johor and Chancellor of UTM, Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah Binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah, Her Highness Che’ Puan Besar Khaleeda Binti Bustamam, Her Royal Highness Raja Puan Besar Perak Darul Ridzuan,Raja Nazhatul Shima Binti Almarhum Sultan Idris A’fifullah Shah, Pro-Chancellor, Tan Sri Dr. Salleh Mohd Nor, Chairman of UTM Board of Directors , Tan Sri Azman Hj Mokhtar and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Datuk. Ir. Ts. Dr. Ahmad Fauzi bin Ismail.
Dr. Khasturi said that each thesis, experiment and discovery contribute to addressing real-world challenges as it was not a smooth journey especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, which posed restrictions in many ways.
“Let us also cherish the beautiful friendships and brilliant connections we have made during our time as students at UTM. Our collaborations have made us work better and produce outstanding results. Let’s carry forward this wonderful friendship into the future of our lives.
“In conclusion, we extend our sincere gratitude to UTM for the golden opportunities, remarkable support, and top-notch education. All these incredibly helped shape us into who we are today,” said Dr. Khasturi.
Currently serves as an educator at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) Masai, Dr Khasturi has been in the teaching field for 19 years. Routine as an educator in addition to being a mother of two children provided great challenges throughout her tenure as a UTM student.
“Challenges are always there but we should not make it a big problem to the point of losing interest in continuing studies. Take it as a challenge that can catalyze our spirit to continue to achieve progress in life.
“Always remember that none of us reached to this point alone. Our deepest gratitude should goes to the dedicated faculty members, mentors, families and friends who have been unwavering pillars of support throughout this journey,” said Dr Khasturi.
