July 7, 2020, by khyx2lyn
Journey Through The Years: Masturah
Throughout my journey as a Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience student in UNM, I have received constant engagement, guidance, words of encouragement – all of which have made me into a better person today. I have gained more confidence in my own abilities and have had the chance to engage in opportunities such as an internship with Dr. Miflah as well as presented at the MAPSA 2019 conference. It was in UNM that doors started opening, even ones that I did not know I had the potential to unlock. This is mainly attributed to the inspiring people that I have met (and engaged in a discourse with) and the programmes I have attended throughout my degree especially psychology- related ones such as the talk by Dr. Daniel Seal and the ones organized by PsychSoc. I am eternally grateful especially to my lecturers for their wisdom and patience which have contributed to my growth (academic and non-academic wise). One of the thing that I value most is the sincerity of the lecturers – I am an average student but whenever I ask for feedback on how I could improve, the lecturers will take their time to explain to me via email or in-person and would encourage me to do better. Besides, the dedication showcased by the lecturers is another thing I truly admire. As I am writing this, I picture so many fond memories of every lecturer that I have learnt from such as Dr. Jess’s sweet treats in the CSL which have helped me go through some of the harder times of my degree. I know for sure that the lecturers have displayed encouragement and support for students to gradually improve which reminds me of a saying “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou.
Personally, I feel that the School of Psychology was well-prepared and well-equipped in handling the MCO and distance learning. I appreciate the initiatives taken by the school to ensure that we have the best learning experience possible whereby one of it was through conducting the Tea Break sessions besides providing progressive updates throughout MCO. Moreover, the lecture materials were uploaded efficiently and we had ample of time to ask questions in which the lecturers were able to provide in-depth explanations similar to in-person classes. Lecturers and Markus provided students with additional information that is useful such as free online courses and textbooks which is beneficial to students. Thus, I do believe that the school have tried their best and have handled online learning effectively.
Honestly, I am dejected that my degree ended in this ‘special’ way. Ultimately, what’s most painful to me is not that I won’t get to walk across the stage — it’s that I won’t achieve the closure of an important chapter that I have envisioned – celebrating with lecturers and friends, having a final tour of the CSL and Cattell (my favourite FYP lab), heartfelt conversations and goodbyes. I didn’t know three months ago that I’d gossiped for the last time on my friend Fatin’s bed or that our walk back to Univillage at 8pm after conducting my FYP experiment was the last walk back from campus that we shared together. However, I understand that this is beyond our control and I really appreciate the School of Psychology’s efforts to conduct a session with graduating students via Microsoft Teams. In addition, I would like to applaud and thank everyone involved in the initiative of creating a Yearbook for graduating students since we couldn’t have a graduation dinner.
To my fellow graduating classmates, I wish everyone success in whatever you choose to pursue. I hope that you will do something you’re passionate about. Although sometimes things might not work out the way you envisioned it to be, that’s okay and I hope that you keep on trying because great things take time. May you find happiness and contentment is doing what you do alongside creating a positive impact to those around you. Thank you for being supportive and kind towards me throughout our degree in UNM. I will always cherish the memories that we have shared for many years to come, and I am grateful to have known all of you. Looking forward to our online as well as in-person graduation ceremonies which is a celebration of our hard work and dedication. I just wish that we’ll get a chance to hug our friends and say our goodbyes, knowing that it would be our last embrace for a while. Finally, I hope you still remember this poem shared by Dr Neil which have ignited me with motivation during tough times, may this help provide comfort if you need it ?
Don’t Quit
By Edgar Albert Guest
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low but the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit…
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit!
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many failures turn about
When we might have won had we stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow…
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out…
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Article by Masturah Merican
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