MAY 9 was a big day for the last group of Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) scholars at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado in the United States.
It was a Thursday in the middle of spring and the snow fell and the graduates braved the cold and the flurries for their graduation ceremony donning ski goggles, snowsuits and carrying umbrellas.
The graduates and their parents gathered as early as 10am at Macky auditorium and the recognition ceremony started at noon when all the graduates marched into the hall followed by members from the faculties of mechanical engineering and applied sciences.
As the song, Pomp and Circumstance, set an emotional tone, the graduates marched into the auditorium wearing their robes and tasseled mortar boards.
It was a really wonderful feeling not only for the graduates but also for their parents.
The JPA scholars were the last batch sent to do their degrees in engineering. All of them did their initial studies at INTEC (International Education Center) Shah Alam under the American degree programme for two years between 2014 and 2016.
In September 2016, about 20 of them flew to Denver to enrol at the university while others enrolled at the university in Athens, Ohio and University of Washington in Seattle.
It was definitely a very good experience to study in the US. The University of Colorado has one of the toughest engineering programmes in the world. So a thumbs up for these graduates for their hard work and perseverance.
The mechanical engineering students who graduated on May 9 were Muhammad Aminuddin Abd, Halim, Amir Zuhair Amir Rashid, Mohamad Aqbar Azman, Ahmad Faiq Abuyamin, Muhammad Hashim, Nik Naqiuddin Faris Mohd Khalid, Faten Syazana Mohd and Nasha Nasry.
The weather was one of the toughest challenges that they had to face. Sometimes students stayed back to study until midnight at the library and at this time there was no bus service on campus. They have no choice but to walk home to their apartments in sub-zero temperatures. Exposed skin in cold windy weather is most vulnerable to frostbite and it really pricks the bones, and damages skin, tissues, muscle and bones.
Studies were tough and they were always on their toes with online pop quizzes every week. Their engineering projects were always a joint venture with industry, such as on a sensing device capable of measuring acceleration, vibration, orientation, gas composition humidity and temperature. It was eight months of intense sweat and tears.
For Faten Syazana, there’s light at the end of the tunnel as she is going to tie the knot on July 5 with fiancé Muhammad Ibrahim who graduated from Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. They became very close while studying at INTEC and getting married was their graduation present.
It just felt good to the graduates to be finally done with their studies. They were all excited and relieved, and happy for the hands-on experience they had gained at the university. The other engineering students, such as electrical and chemical, had their commencement on May 10. These students are expected to fly home to Malaysia by May 31 the latest.
According to them, JPA had already purchased their tickets to go back home. Insya Allah (God willing), they hope to go home and serve the nation but they need to write resumes and apply online to various government-linked companies, competing with other graduates and waiting to be called for an interview.
They know it will be even harder in the real world and they hope to do their best and contribute to country and society.
The writer is former Associate Professor at the Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam.