It was a day of celebration for 813 graduates of KDU Penang as they were conferred a degree, diploma or certificate during the KDU’s 21st graduation ceremony held on Sunday, November 2, 2014 at Equatorial Hotel.
The ceremony was attended by graduates, proud parents and guardians as well as beaming lecturers. It commenced with an inspiring speech by Dr Chong Beng Keok, Principal and CEO of KDU Penang congratulating the achievers for Class of 2013/2014. Also present at the ceremony were Mr Jeffrey Chew, Group CEO of Paramount Corporation Berhad, Associate Prof. Dr. Hon Wei Min, Deputy Vice Chancellor – Academic, KDU University College, Mr. David Bell, Associate Dean (International) in the Faculty of Engineering and Environment of Northumbria University, Dr Malcolm of the University of Hertfordshire, Mr. Heinz Buerki, President of IMI University Centre Switzerland, Prof. David Shepherd, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Keele University and and representatives from University of Chester.
It was also a special day for our graduate, Loo Jianwen who obtained achievements against all odds. Jianwen is our graduate with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who completed his degree programme under KDU-Northumbria University BSc (Hons) Communication and Public Relations. Jianwen is currently a volunteer at Asian Community Service (ACS), helping students with disability while planning his continual studies.
Jianwen stated that his journey at KDU Penang was exciting and challenging. He was glad to be given the opportunities to develop his communication and leadership skills, instill critical thinking as well as learn to socialise and work in a team. He was grateful that he has chosen the correct path to study mass communication as it is really his interest to pursue a career in that field.
He credited two KDU’s lecturers, Dr Tan Lee Ooi and Mr Paul Seah who saw his abilities and encouraged him to either pursue a career or further his studies in communication. It was also his aim to become a role model and raise awareness for people with disability.
On this cherished day of all, KDU Penang also proudly celebrated its achiever Lee Paik Jen who is the Valedictorian for this year’s graduation. Graduating with a first class honour for B.Eng (Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Paik Jen delivered a heartwarming message of courage in making dreams come true. She also expressed special thanks to her parents, classmates and lecturers for supporting her throughout the entire journey in obtaining her degree.
She embarked into the working world upon completing her studies with well-equipped knowledge and outstanding industrial skill sets. During her days with KDU Penang, she was actively involved in various events and competitions. Paik Jen was a member of KDU R&D Cluster, a semi-finalist for Innovate Malaysia Design Competition 2014, a runner-up for internal i-MSC competition 2014 at KDU UC, a member of the key organizing committee for the Malaysia Book of Records’ Longest 2nd Penang Bridge model using recycled materials as well as holding the treasurer position for Engineering Society year 2011/12.
Paik Jen also submitted a conference paper to the International Conference on Software Intelligence Technologies and Applications (SIT) 2014 and will be presenting her paper with her team in Taiwan this December. She was also a recipient of the scholarship from the Sin Chew Daily Education Fund (2010) and The Star Education Fund (2013).
The ceremony ended with jubilant faces of each graduates gripping their scrolls, excitedly congratulate each other amidst a sea of flowers, teddy bears and camera flashes.