A total of 208 diploma students from INTI College Sabah (ICS) were celebrated in a convocation ceremony that was once again held in Sabah.
The ceremony held on 22 October 2022 saw students from the Diploma in Business, Diploma in Accounting and Diploma in Hotel Management programmes receive their scrolls in the presence of ICS Board of Governors Datuk Chong Hon Len and Ar. Mr. Fong Tet Kong, ICS Chief Executive Roselyn Chua, Institut Sinaran CEO Michael Chin, as well as proud family, friends, and guests.
INTI College Sabah lecturers (from left) Stanley J Lajiun, Head of Programme for Diploma and Hotel Management, Winnie Abd Nasir, Head of Programme for Diploma in Business, Dg. Siti Aisyah Ag Bakar, Head of Programme for Diploma in Accounting, Beverly V Usit, and Billy Siew posing for a photo during the graduation ceremony.
According to Roselyn, graduation ceremonies for ICS had been held together with the Nilai and Subang campus in past years. However, taking into consideration various factors including the rising cost of transportation and accommodation, the ceremony is now being held in Sabah which allowed family and friends to celebrate the students’ achievements without having to travel far.
“It is incredible to be able to host this graduation ceremony. These graduands are unique because they are gifted individuals who have come together as a generation that grew online. They have the capacity to be resilient and have found success in a variety of ways despite the difficulties of the pandemic,” said Roselyn during her opening speech.
The college also honoured the valedictorian, Eiu Tze Zhen, for her outstanding achievements in academics. The 22-year-old born in Klang, Selangor, graduated with a Diploma in Accounting and is currently pursuing the Bachelor in Accounting and Finance in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire at ICS.
Valedictorian Eiu Tze Zhen poses for a group photo with her parents and sister.
“I’m forever grateful to my family for providing me with the facilities I needed to focus on my studies when the pandemic struck, and learning shifted online. It was challenging but I believe that we must strive to be more flexible and adaptable. INTI provides students with innovative and quality education to prepare me for the next stage of my life and its programme offerings are globally recognised,” said Tze Zhen who plans to take up the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) programme and become a successful chartered accountant one day.
Diploma in Hotel Management graduate Rodney Raphael Disimon was thrilled to receive his scroll. He said the ceremony symbolised his appreciation for the faith his family had in him. Rodney, who hails from Penampang, works as a Patient Services Associate at one of the private hospitals in Kota Kinabalu. He said he incorporates elements of hospitality he learned at INTI into the healthcare services working environment where he assists patients and communicate with clinical and non-clinical staff to ensure a smooth workflow.
Rodney Raphael Disimon and his course mates were all smiles after the convocation ceremony.
“I am a person people and love to engage with people, so the hospitality sector suits my personality. Although the future is yet uncertain, I consider that with my background, exposure, knowledge, and experience that I gained, I foresee a career for myself in the hospitality industry,” said the 23-year-old of Kadazan descent.
Meanwhile, Nurizawana Suraman, 21, who graduated with a Diploma in Business, felt immensely proud of reaching a life milestone.
“It was exciting to see everyone in their robes. The best part was holding my diploma and showing my parents my achievements. After I enrolled in August 2019, the learning environment changed from physical learning to online learning, but I managed to adapt to the new norms. Personally, I did not face hardships, but I felt comfortable with learning online after I got used to it,” she said, adding that lecturers put in so much effort into teaching by recording classes which allowed students do their revisions at any time.
Proud parents Suraman and Rupini pose with their daughter Nurizawana.
Nurizawana, who is currently pursuing the Bachelor of Business Administration in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire at ICS aspires to combine her love for creating creative content and digital marketing in her future endeavours, adding that these skills will be highly sought after as marketing tools continue to evolve.