KOTA SAMARAHAN: Visually impaired Yak Fang Ling defied her limitations to finally earn a Bachelor in Counselling with Honours from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) here Tuesday.
Throughout her university journey, the 25-tear-old had faced significant challenges, starting with limited access to reading materials.
“First of all, the biggest challenge was reading materials, with most of the materials being in hard copy, making it quite difficult for me to access.
“So what I did was I used more online resources and i would go and look for information from the website in order to complete my research.
“I am grateful to the lecturers, they were very good to me, and they gave me materials in soft copy, which was easy for me to access,” she said after getting her scroll at the university’s convocation ceremony here.
Another major challenge was mobility within the vast university campus, as navigating the large spaces independently was difficult.
Yak often relied on friends and volunteers who guided her around campus, an invaluable support system that helped her adjust to university life.
“I needed people to accompany me and guide me from place to place, except when I was in a small, familiar area, like a single room or a small house,” she said.
Yak who comes from Sibu overcame these obstacles with unwavering determination, crediting her mother, Tang Chui King, and her late father as her greatest sources of inspiration and motivation.
“My mother has worked tirelessly for our family, running a small business. My goal is to work and support her so that she doesn’t have to work as hard. She deserves a rest,” she said.
Towards this end, she said she had recently applied for a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching (PGTA) along with seeking other opportunities.
Her ultimate dream is simple but magnanimous as all she wants is to help others.
“I have often been on the receiving end of help, so I really, really want to become someone who really can help people. This is why I chose counselling” she said.
