UCSI University’s 28th Convocation Ceremony

KUALA LUMPUR: Not many can say that their lives were transformed by their university experience, but Hon Kah Mun can.

At the age of six, she was placed at an orphanage when her parents divorced. Growing up in an orphanage, Kah Mun experienced hard times and university was the last thing on her mind. Today, she is awarded the Chancellor’s Gold Medal Award — which honours a graduate who demonstrates excellence in study as well as outstanding personal attributes in the face of adversity.

When she was six years old, Kah Mun said her ambition was, “to be a cleaner because that is the only thing I know how to do”. This changed when she watched a documentary about a homeless girl who made it to Harvard. Inspired, she chose education to break the cycle of poverty and improve her life. She enrolled in UCSI University.

Kah Mun’s affinity for linguistics saw her constantly topping the dean’s list and in 2015, she graduated with first class honours in UCSI’s BA (Hons) English Language and Communication programme. Humbled, she credits her school teachers, faculty dean and lecturers for helping her realise that she could depend on herself for a living. 

“They provided me with the emotional support and advice I needed during my darkest hours,” the Chancellor’s Gold Medal Award receiver said.

Kah Mun’s success is matched by that of the valedictorian, David Soo Guo Cheong who graduated with the Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Chemical Engineering.

Raised by his mother upon his father’s passing in 2009, David was the oldest among three sons and money was not easy to come by. Fortunately, the valedictorian’s tertiary education was made possible with a scholarship from the UCSI University Trust. 

Just like how the University had helped him to achieve his goals, the academically talented student constantly reached out to his peers. He willingly mentored others in Physics. David also pioneered the university’s online tutoring initiative with the UCSI Kuching Campus.

His strong sense of leadership and stellar academic results made him a clear choice for the 2015 valedictorian award. David credits his time at UCSI for helping channel his go-getter spirit towards higher ideals.

In his valedictorian’s address, he also thanked his mother who single-handedly raised him and his siblings upon his father’s death in 2009.

“Her support and sometimes knowing that she will just be there, no matter what, meant the world to me,” he said.

To ensure his mother’s efforts were not in vain, David topped the dean’s list every semester, won the Overall Achievement Award thrice and received the Presidential Award in 2013.

Looking back at his time at UCSI, he is thankful that his lecturers were uncompromising when it came to quality.

“Their high expectations kept me on my toes but their willingness to go the extra mile made the expectations an ideal to strive for instead of a burden,” he added with a smile.

Kah Mun and David were among the 2,190 graduates who received their scrolls during UCSI’s 28th Convocation Ceremony.

The two-day ceremony was attended by its Chancellor, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Abdul Rahman Arshad and Vice-Chancellor and President, Senior Professor Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff.

In his speech, the Chancellor said, “Don’t tell yourself that you should not try for a dream because the conventional option is safer. Never give up on something that means a lot to you just because other people have not done it.

“Don’t be afraid of risks. History rarely yields to one person, but never forget, what happens when it does. That can be you. That must be you,” he said.