In his case the qualities of perseverance, dedication, commitment, persistence and determination converge in that one moment when he receives his scroll. And by his side his mother who has been attending classes with him graduates too.

For Limkokwing University this exemplifies its philosophy that the impossible is indeed, possible.

It has been a long journey and at every step of the way Hafiz’s family has been his strongest support always finding ways to ensure he reached every milestone in his academic struggle. From primary to secondary school, it has been an uphill task for this family. In 2004 Hafiz was accepted at the Sekolah Menengah Datuk Ibrahim in Jalan Ipoh to complete his SPM.

In 2006 when Hafiz expressed his desire to pursue degree studies his parents brainstormed on how to find the right institution for him.

“We were losing hope and had no idea of where to take him, we looked everywhere and in some of the schools we stumbled upon, there were no facilities to cater for his condition,” says his mother, who is ever enthused to make sure her son achieves his goals.

A chance meeting with Mrs Yogeswari Veerakathy, a lecturer for the hearing impaired at Limkowing University provided Mrs Banoo with the solution.

She took Mrs Yoges’ advice and brought Hafiz to the campus in Cyberjaya. Mohammed started by enrolling to do English studies. Later he enrolled to do a course in software engineering, an unusual choice because most of the hearing impaired students enrolled at Limkokwing University almost always signed up to do design.

He could not do the design course because his hands were weak and he did not want to strain them. “I also wanted to be a photographer but this would require a lot of standing and walking around,” said Hafiz.

His lecturer Mr Anand Ramachandran recalls that Hafiz was very good with numbers and was very competitive in class. “He would actually scold his mother if she tried to correct him with something because he prefers to figure things out for himself.”

Throughout the 5 years he has taken 6 modules every semester and these require him to put extra effort which consumed a lot of his time, but with the help of his supportive lectures and his mother who actually attends classes with him as his interpreter, Hafiz has achieved his goal of graduating with a degree.

What’s next for Hafiz after he graduates? “I want to be successful in life, to make it on my own and not depend on anybody and I hope one day I will be able to walk.”

He wants to travel to Canada or Australia to improve his knowledge and he hopes he will achieve his wishes. Judging from his resilience and determination he will make his dreams come true, especially when he has his mother by his side to assist in every way she can.

Of all the students who will be graduating in December Mohammed Hafiz, certainly will be the happiest.