SHAH ALAM: Despite being visually impaired, Norhayati Sambak was determined to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in accounting and although it took her six years, she finally achieved her dream.
Norhayati, who is a 52-year-old mother of seven, was grateful to be able to complete her studies in accounting at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM).
The lecturer at UiTM Kelantan said her children and husband were the ones who pushed her in the pursuit of a PhD.
“I would be lying if I said the thought of giving up never crossed my mind. I even felt like selling my land to repay the scholarship I received.
“Thankfully, I had supervisors who were very supportive,” Norhayati told reporters after the university’s 93rd convocation ceremony held at UiTM here today.
Norhayati is severely myopic in her right eye and the vision in her left eye is also deteriorating.
Due to her vision problem, she was forced to use reading lenses to get through her daily life when her left eye suffered from retinal detachment.
“Last year, after completing my PhD, I had to undergo two surgeries on my left eye. I lost the function of my right eye 10 years ago, so I was dependent on my left eye.
“Perhaps I was too dependent on the left eye and that is why it is badly affected,” said Norhayati, who has written two books related to finance.
Meanwhile, police officer ASP Abang Faisal Yaman, 54, who is the basic/advanced training branch head at the Kota Kinabalu police training centre in Sabah, said he was grateful to finally receive his PhD in corporate management after seven years.
Besides the support from his friends, Abang Faisal’s strong desire to don the Tudor bonnet drove him to pursue his doctorate.
“If you want to pursue a PhD, you need to be good at managing your time and to find a ‘turning point’ to stay motivated.
“Each day, I would allocate two hours for my studies. If I had to go outstation, I would bring along my laptop, I couldn’t afford to leave home without it,” he said.
The father of two said he hoped his determination in pursuing his PhD would motivate his friends and children to continue studying to the highest level.
Earlier, Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin Abdul Rahman presented the PhD, master and bachelor’s degrees to 1,124 UiTM graduates on the second day of the convocation. - FMT
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