KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — There’s a saying that goes: Hard work always pays off one day.
That is true for a young Kelantanese university student, Muhammad Afiq Ismail, who had to work as a cleaner 20 hours a week while pursuing his undergraduate studies at the University of Essex in the UK.
Thanks to his commitment and determination, the accounting and finance graduate not only obtained a First Class honours degree, but also managed to sponsor his parent’s trip to UK to attend his graduation ceremony recently.
When contacted by Malay Mail, the 23-year-old said he is now preparing to return home to kick start his professional career at an audit firm in October.
In the meantime, Afiq said he plans to complete his professional papers to become a certified accountant.
The road to success for Afiq was paved with lots of hard work, sincerity and sacrifice.
Hailing from a small town of Kuala Krai in Kelantan, Afiq’s father worked in a palm oil farm and herded goats.
His parents worked hard to send Afiq to a private boarding school requiring a monthly tuition fee of RM300, while caring for his disabled brother.
After achieving outstanding grades (10 As and a B) in SPM exam, he was offered a scholarship by Public Service Department (JPA) to study abroad in the UK.
Besides just working towards his bachelor’s degree, Afiq joined the university’s student union to be able to earn his own pocket money.
Throughout his three-year course, he had to get up before the sunrise to work part-time as a cleaner at the university’s restaurant and shops.
“I worked 15 to 20 hours a week, which on average earned me about £100 (RM514),” he said.
Afiq admitted that working while studying was quite challenging but he eventually got used to it after a while.
“I had to wake up at 4am and cycle my way in the dark just to get to work at 5am.
“Luckily there was a leniency at my workplace, where I could put study first,” he added.
His goal was to save up his money and eventually fly his parents to UK for his graduation ceremony.
“My parents have never been on an airplane. So, I wanted to buy them tickets as a gift for everything they’ve done for me to finish my studies,” he said.
Afiq said his parent’s reaction was priceless when he told them that he was going to buy them air tickets to UK.
“My mother was reluctant at the beginning as the tickets were costly, but I managed to convince her.
“They mean the world to me. They are the one who made me reach this level by going through so much hardship,” he added.
Afiq’s inspiring story was recently shared on Facebook by his friend Khairul Aiman Hamdan, and has touched many Malaysians ever since the post started making its rounds on social media.
