It was a pretty long speech initially but was cut short by UTP. Not all parts were covered.
Speech
by ASHVINDER SINGH GILL A/L SURMAISH SINGH GILL
Student
Award Winner
UTP
20TH CONVOCATION
Day
4: Tuesday, 21 December 2021 (Morning Session)
Chancellor
Hall, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
Thank
you Master of Ceremony.
Yang
Berusaha Encik Bacho Pilong
Pengerusi
Lembaga Pengarah Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
Yang
Berusaha Profesor Ts. Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib
Naib
Canselor Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
Ahli-Ahli
Lembaga Pengarah Universiti,
Ahli-Ahli
Senat dan Pengurusan UTP,
Para
pensyarah dan kakitangan Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS,
Para
ibu bapa, tuan-tuan, puan-puan, serta sahabat-sabahat seperjuangan sekalian.
Selamat
pagi dan salam sejahtera.
A
very good morning I bid to everyone present here on this very auspicious day to
celebrate a day of accomplishment. Today is a very special day for you and me
as it marks a milestone in life after spending an average of 5 years here. It has
been over a year since I and in fact, most of you left this place, and it feels
nostalgic to be back at this place but this time as a graduate.
My
name is Ashvinder Singh Gill and most of you will know me as Ash. I was born
and raised in Puchong, Selangor, attending both Primary and Secondary school
there never dreaming that I could be standing here as the representative for
Mechanical Engineering Class of 2020 as the winner of Gold Vice Chancellor Award
in which I dedicate this award and
moment to the people and organisations who believed, nurtured and guided me.
Fellow
Class of 2020,
If
I were to reflect on our journey here and to think of one word to describe this
journey, it would be: Unprecedented.
You
are unprecedented, WE are unprecedented because WE have done something never
known before – We graduated despite the ravaging pandemic. It is no secret or
debate that we have proven ourselves to be one of the most resilient classes in
UTP history. We have all fought battles, both known and unknown by those around
us. And I am here today to say that despite our struggles, we have made it to
this moment. A round of applause for ourselves!
Convocation-
It means the celebration of an end of a chapter.
My
very own chapter in UTP commenced unplanned as never did I expect that learning
about UTP 2 days prior to July 2015 intake deadline will lead me to spending 5
years in UTP and I believe it was, indeed, the right choice- even when it meant
declining a sponsorship to pursue Engineering abroad due to certain
circumstances. I could clearly remember the day I was sitting for my final
foundation paper UTP – Physics II here in this very hall. It was sharp 12 pm
when the exam ended which also marked the end of my foundation. At that point
of time, there were a series of internal monologues going on “Will this be my
last day in UTP?”, “Will this be the end of my journey here?”, “What’s next?”
and “Did I just failed (in-life) ?”. Well, fortunately with God’s grace, it
went the other way around.
As
I reflect on my journey in UTP, I would say that it went by in a blink of eye
and indeed, it was fast-paced and on-the-go as every semester had its own challenges.
Aside from academic opportunities, I am forever grateful that the university
provided me various platforms to be actively involved in various extra-curricular
activities in the university, national and international level right from the
foundation year till the end of second year ranging from holding diverse portfolio
of leadership roles to participating in competitions including being the Director
and Head of Department for several national level events, delivering Malaysian
Book of Records to being champion in international competitions in which most
of the participations were my first-time experience. Not to forget, UTP through
YUTP also opened the opportunity for me and 19 other students of my class to be
involved in an international community service project in Indonesia via its
MPU4 course. Thank you YUTP for that.
Now
that I have left UTP for over a year and in corporate life, I am certainly
missing the experience spending time with friends, late night walks in UTP,
participating in extra-curricular, the cold test/exam halls and IRC during exam
weeks, spending hours doing Extended Assignments during the virtual semester
and cumulatively live as a student.
It
will be a lie if I say that the years in UTP went smoothly as there were challenges
as well. There were times that I have struggled, failed, felt like giving up, cried,
been anxious both in academics and extra-curricular which I deem as part and
parcel of life. However, the growth mindset
and self-motivation kept me going to push my limits and has driven me to where
am I today. For
me and you, the hurdles in Engineering school show that we were destined for
the course. It is the sense of fulfillment that arrives after solving
complicated problems that makes every single effort worthwhile. I always
believe that growth happens when you feel uncomfortable, are being challenged
or even in the midst when you doubted yourself.
People often say, that if you “survived” the
competitive environment in UTP, it means that you can do anything and of
course, legally.
As
I am coming to the end of my speech, I would like to end this speech with some
words of gratitude:
I
would like to express gratitude to my parents, dad- Surmaish Singh Gill and
mom-Jaspreet Kaur for their immense support throughout my life journey and
without them, I would not be where I am today. They had always been my biggest
driving force to work hard, which in turn enabled me to thrive in multiple
environments. They never pressed me to pursue academic excellence either which
is why in my entire family generation, I am the very first graduate and an
engineer. Not to forget, I am fortunate to have friends who have been with me at
times of challenges and situations guiding and supporting me in both academics
and non-academics. There are countless names but I believe you know that I am
referring to you who have crossed my path. And to my mentors and community-online
& offline, thank you for your countless support, care, mentorship,
insights, direction, guidance, motivation and advice. To my previous alma
mater, SMK Batu 8 and SK Puchong Jaya, thank you for all the preparation,
advice, knowledge and support. To my educators Mr. Reveendran and Puan Chin,
thank you for your guidance and words of advice in SMK Batu 8 and educator Mr.
Mohan for all your advice and guidance in SK Puchong Jaya. I am extremely
privileged to have them in life as not everyone can afford the same privileges:
supportive family members, healthy competitive friends and mentors.
Standing
on the same degree of gratitude, I would like to thank the Department of
Mechanical Engineering including lecturers, support staff, and the management for
their relentless hard work in educating and gearing us to face industry-wide
challenges through lectures, tutorials, assessments, industry lectures,
seminars. Also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Tamiru for your
guidance throughout my FYP journey.
Lastly,
thank you to the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS diverse community including
management, RV, support staff, UTP clinic, food operators for providing me extensive
opportunities, facilities, and administration support throughout my journey.
Most
of all, thank you, UTP for making this convocation a reality.
And,
remember to be kind to others as you never know what others are going through. Take
care of your mental health especially in the digital world we are living in today.
At the current age, we are now, you may have dreams or passion and often we are
told to follow our dreams. So, whatever your dream is right now, if you don't
achieve it, you haven't failed, and you're not some loser/failure. But just as
importantly — and this is the part I may not get right and you may not listen
to — if you do get your dream, you are not a winner... Life is an
improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next.
With
that,
Happy
graduation to distinguished alumni, guests, family and friends, Universiti
Teknologi PETRONAS, staff, and the extraordinary class of 2020!
Thank
you, stay safe!
