Tireless Engineering Grad Idham Receives Top Awards At Melaka Polytechnic Convo

MELAKA, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- Moonlighting for five hours washing trucks every day is clearly a big dampener for anyone, let alone a student, but it never stopped this tireless student from scoring extraordinary success in academia, including receiving two top awards at the 22nd Convocation of Melaka Polytechnic. 

In fact, for Muhammad Idham Idrus, 22, from Mukim Balai Panjang, the job not only made him financially independent to support himself and his family with a wage of around RM30 to RM40 per night but also toughened up his resilience and discipline.

He started working nights because his father had fallen ill with diabetes while his mother is a full-time housewife, with two older brothers and two younger sisters still studying.

"I am truly grateful for the awards I received today, thanks to the sacrifices I made throughout my studies at the polytechnic, as well as the prayers and blessings of my parents, family and lecturers.

"I feel very happy because the sheer hard work has paid off as well as making my family proud," the Diploma in Electronic Engineering (Control) graduate told Bernama in Ayer Keroh here today.

Earlier, Muhammad Idham received the Director's Award, Academic and Co-Curricular Award presented by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Datuk Dr Anesee Ibrahim.

The awards were a recognition for his outstanding achievements in academics and leadership throughout his studies at the Melaka Polytechnic.

Admitting that his biggest challenge was stress and fatigue, Muhammad Idham nevertheless proved that he could divide his time between enough sleep and staying focused on lectures and assignments.

"Apart from that, I often refer to my friends if there is anything I do not understand. My plan after this is to work while studying, to become certified in A1 electrical machinery maintenance," he said.

At the convocation, a total of 475 graduates of Melaka Polytechnic successfully completed their studies at the diploma level, involving graduates from Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Commerce.

-- BERNAMA