By Chong Weng Yeap
Bachelor of Marketing (Hons)
Alumni Batch March 2009

It is indeed my pleasure to be given the opportunity to pen down some of my greatest moments in UTAR.

It has never been a dull experience while pursuing my tertiary education in UTAR. Though it is a tough and rough journey, the experiences, challenges and friends that I have met and gained throughout these years made every sacrifice worthwhile.

There is so much to say about my university life. However, the most amusing and astounding part is the journey with my fellow comrades while serving in the Student Representative Council.

I was then a course representative way back in 2006 and I have always wanted to involve myself in leadership position. Opportunity came in 2007 when my friends nominated me in the 4th SRC General Election. Although I did not get the highest vote, I was given the trust to hold the Vice Chairman post then.

Ever since then, my amazing journey in UTAR began. In SRC, we were given the chance to hold great responsibilities, to lead and to be led; from organizing university events, attending official talk/seminars from government and private sectors to raising the awareness of the importance of SRC and students' rights. I have also learnt tremendously from attending numerous events. These events included the Majlis Pelancaran Bulan Kemerdekaan & Kibarkan Jalur Gemilang, Dataran Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia, Putrajaya (17th Aug 2007), Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) Students Exchange (27th June 2007), SRC Handover Ceremony (25th July 2007), Dato' Kam Woon Wah's Student Loan Fund Ceremony (26th July 2007) and Kongress Patriotisme Remaja, Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) (18th - 19th Aug 2007).

However, my greatest and toughest ride in SRC was while organizing the inaugural UTAR FAM Social Night 2008. It was a joint effort between SRC and Career Development Society (CDS). It was attended by more than 650 participants at a six-star hotel?s grand ball room. Special guests included the former UTAR President/CEO, YB Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Ng Lay Swee, current UTAR President/CEO, YBhg Ir. Prof Datuk Dr. Chuah Hean Teik and several other UTAR senior officials.

Behind the success of the grand event were many hard-hitting rides. Some of us gave up half way through the journey while some continued to strive on, clutching tightly to our beliefs. Bitter moments arose when members disagreed with each other. However, all of us who fought for the success of the event till the last moment learnt something most valuable - TEAMWORK. I often think of the word TEAM as "together we achieve more". We fought and battled in the process, but we still managed to work as a team to accomplish what we set out to do. Patience, honesty, humility and trustworthy were some of the attributes that had been carved into me from that experience.

My experience with SRC has such a great impact on me that it shaped who I am today; a young man trained for leadership, commitment, integrity and accountability. Here, I would like to extend my gratitude to my fellow comrades who strove side by side with me during my tenure of service in SRC and also the organizing team for the FAM Social Night event.

Without the experiences that I gained from UTAR, I would have marked another chapter of my life after graduation differently. I will never forget the lessons I have learnt at UTAR. This esperience was developed in me the qualities that would help me to sail through another voyage - bringing my career to greater height.