VC Award recipient Lai Chor Kiew attributes his success to mother Kwai Fong

By: SITI NURFARMY IBRAHIM, CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DIVISION 

Lai Chor Kiew, 24, who coveted the Vice-Chancellor Award at Universiti Malaysia Pahang’s (UMP) 14th Convocation, professed that his strength to persevere came from his mother, Loh Kwai Fong, 48, who had to raise her children single-handedly after her husband passed on 10 years ago.

Speaking to UMP’s Corporate Communication Division after the recent convocation – which took place at the Sports Complex of the university’s Gambang Campus on November 16 & 17, 2019 – Lai Chor Kiew said family’s support and encouragement have been the backbone of his success, especially in overcoming every obstacle that came his way.

As the eldest of four siblings, the Vice-Chancellor Award recipient was also on the Dean’s List for every semester he was pursuing the Bachelor of Computer Science (Computer Systems & Networking) with Honours. He graduated with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.82.

Referring to his mom’s strong spirit, Chor Kiew reflected that there are parents who would reprimand their children for failing academically, but never was the case with his parents.

“My parents would, instead, continue to encourage and spur me to do better and improve, and this form of upbringing has a profound effect on my attitude towards learning and life, generally,” he highlighted. 

“I will work hard to ensure that every goal I set my sight on will be achieved,” said the Award recipient, adding that every single and small accomplishment is in itself considered a success.

“My principles, which are never to give up, always be inquisitive and continue to acquire new knowledge, are the key to my success today,” Chor Kiew emphasized.

The Kampar, Perak-born graduate commended that UMP is a great university, which has significantly helped young adults progress in life with the relevant and interesting courses to pursue for their tertiary studies in.

Chor Kiew, who now works as an Automation Engineer, was also active in co-curricular activities at the university – including in several associations and programmes, like the Millennium Exploration, Chinese New Year Cultural Night 2017 and Motorola Embedded Wireless Communication (M-Wicom Modules A & B).