KUALA NERUS, March 20 (Bernama) — It was double joy for Nurulafifah Yahya when she and her younger sister, Nurul Ezzah, graduated together after completing their studies for a doctorate in philosophy (PhD) and a bachelor’s degree, respectively, at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu‘s (UMT) 19th convocation ceremony today.

Nurulafifah, 34, graduated with a PhD in marine science, while Nurul Ezzah, 25, obtained a first-class bachelor’s degree in tourism management.

The siblings were among 2,540 students who received their scrolls at the ceremony, which began today and runs until March 23.

The ceremony went smoothly with compliance to the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the Health Ministry.

Currently, Nurulafifah works as an assistant lecturer at UMT, while her sister is pursuing a master’s degree in tourism management at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin.

“My mother’s, Rabiah Hamzah, 62, perseverance in bringing us up after my father’s death is our inspiration to achieve excellence in our studies to change the fate of the family,” said Nurulafifah, who received MyBrain15 (MyMaster and MyPhD) sponsorship from the Higher Education Ministry.

The UMT Senate also agreed to award the honorary doctorate in economics to the former UMT Board of Directors chairman, Tan Sri Mohammad Azlan Hashim, and the honorary Master of Social Sciences degree to national track cycling champion Datuk Azizulhasni Awang.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency