By: Nazrul Rapail
Student of Bachelor of Arts (Malay Language and Linguistics)
SERDANG, MARCH 22 – A Bachelor of Arts in Malay Language and Linguistics graduate, Mohamad Ridzuan Zakaria, disregards his shortcomings as an excuse to attain a degree at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) 45th Convocation Ceremony today.
As a student from the Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication (FBMK), he is a Person with Disabilities (OKU) who was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) since childhood.
He said during his studies, he actively represented UPM in the Universiti Malaysia Sports Council (MASUM) Championship for the Pencak Silat event in 2019 and 2020 and participated in the Poetry Recital Competition at the Intercollege level.
He was also a cadet officer in PALAPES UPM at the beginning of his studies.
"My involvement aims to hone the talents and skills that exist in me as well as to prove that OKUs with ADHD are also able to stand out compared to others," he said.
In addition to the challenges in communicating with friends, he also admitted that being an OKU with ADHD made it difficult for him to focus in class.
"Sometimes I cannot focus on the facts given by the lecturers, and I will ask repeatedly before I could understand them," he said.
He was also grateful and thanked his friends and lecturers, who often helped him during his stay at UPM.
"UPM OKU Service Unit also had helped me a lot in terms of financial assistance and treatments as this illness makes his emotions uncertain," he said.
Mohamad Ridzuan, 27, was born in Batu Kurau, Perak, and he is the youngest of three siblings who lost their mother in 2014.
"My late mother is my source of inspiration, and she wants to see me succeed," he said.
Mohamad Ridzuan managed to convey his message to the students out there so that they continue to study hard, do not give up easily, and take a person's ridicule as a motivation to pursue.
Now, he is serving in an educational institution and planning to continue his studies at a higher level to achieve his ambition as an educator one day. - UPM
