Achieving the impossible will become the mainstay of the future and young people implanted with this dynamic mindset are the ones who will herald greater innovations and inventions that will re-invent the world.

This was the message the President of Limkokwing University Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing had for 660 graduates from 44 countries who received their scrolls at the university’s graduation last week amidst a spectacularly colourful ceremony.

It was witnessed by the Y.A.M Tengku Sulaiman Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Tengku Panglima DiRaja Selangor, Y.A.M Paduka Puteri Tunku Kamariah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Bte Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, Tunku Puteri Johor, Y.A.M Paduka Puteri Tunku Besar Zabedah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Bte Almarhum Sultan Iskandar and Yang DiMuliakan Tengku Orang Kaya Maha Bijaya Sepang.

Also present were parents, the diplomatic community, invited guests and Professor Dr. Khairuddin Bin Ab. Hamid, who was bestowed upon with the Limkokwing Honorary Doctorate for Leadership in Talent Development.

Today’s graduates will shape tomorrow

Today’s young generation is a different quality of people. They are growing up in an era of technology that is fast changing with revolutionary innovations and inventions.

The vision of the University President is a future, one that will forever be about making the impossible possible, a realm that provides young people with incredible opportunities to innovate and invent new possibilities in every aspect of mankind, from education to medicine to technology to lifestyles and much more.

Tan Sri Lim gave his audience, especially the freshly-minted graduates, the firm assurance that the future is now in their hands and only they have the capacity to design the way they want the world to be tomorrow.

“All recent phenomenal footprints made in cyberspace, including Yahoo, Google, Facebook and Twitter has one thing in common; they were created by very young people when they were barely out of school. If they could create such footprints, so could you. Give yourself a purpose, load yourself up with all the energy you could find, and get on with making the impossible possible. You are already empowered with the knowledge and skills you need to succeed.”

You raise me up

Lively from the start, the highly-charged but solemn ceremony had all the unmistakable trappings of the University.

It was colorful. It was entertaining. It was international. And it was inspiring to the last goodbye.

The grand ceremony was interlaced with songs performed by the Limkokwing Alumni sending emotions high with their powerful rendition of unforgettable hits such as ‘I Am Alive’ and ‘You Raise Me Up’ which were appropriately dedicated to the proud parents present to witness their children’s empowered with 21st century education.

The renowned Limkokwing International Choir was also in attendance stealing the limelight with its encore of the University’s ‘Wings To Fly’ just before curtain fall enthralling the young audience with the right motivation to move on to the next phase of their lives.

Honorary award

A highlight of the ‘Class of 2010’ ceremony was the presentation of the ‘Honorary Doctorate for Leadership in Talent Development’ award to Professor Dr. Khairuddin Bin Ab. Hamid by Limkokwing University in recognition of his vast contribution as a pioneer in the field of Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Professor Dr. Khairuddin, Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, was honoured for his distinctive work in building Malaysia’s strength in skilled human capital.

He is the brains behind the e-Bario initiative, a national project to bridge the digital divide that was selected for the Prime Minister’s Information Technology Award (Socio-economic sector) in 2003. It also won him international accolades from the United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Taiwan.

Limkokwing - universally transformational

Limkokwing University is the only Malaysian institution to export its brand of ‘global classroom’ to the world, a unique concept of education that merges the best of the East and West to bring out the best in today’s young generation.

With twelve campus strategically located across Asia, Africa and Europe, Limkokwing provides the right scope of skills and knowledge designed to nurture and develop inner talents, self-confidence and creative mindsets compatible for the 21st century scenario.

And to give voice to their newly-found empowerment, several Limkokwing graduates testified about their life-changing experience on the campus.

A learning experience unlike no other

Aida from Bosnia Herzegovina shared with everyone that when she first came onboard, she was not really sure Limkokwing was the right place for her. But she was soon wowed by the multi-cultural aspect of the University that completely changed her perspective of education.

“In Bosnia, students do not have the opportunity to study with so many different nationalities and people from all over the world. In my country, education is based mainly on books, strictly on books. Limkokwing education is far beyond books, it will make you think and it will encourage you to be creative, to use your mind and most importantly, to be innovative and independent.”

Emma Cassie of Sabah expressed gratitude to all for making her future bright, promising and meaningful.

“Looking back, I can say that I have grown a lot not just in the educational sphere, but also as a person. I believe I can say this for all of us; I am grateful to the University for giving me this opportunity and I stand here today to prove that the sweat shed by my parents was worth every bit of it.”

For Niza binte Mohd Jai, a Malaysian, her experience at Limkokwing taught her perseverance and fortitude, qualities that has enabled her to be a strong and mature person.

“I remember vividly a person who told me that I was not ‘hot’ enough to be mass communications student. Yes it did hurt a lot. But despite all that, I learnt that growing up is part of life and, no matter how hard you fall, it always come down to how you choose to rise above it and keep on going. In the end, you have nothing to loose because life isn’t about waiting for the storm to be over; it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”

As for Joseph Matebe, a bouncy and cheerful Batswana, his learning experience has been ‘a fun-filled four year journey filled with cultural fusion, knowledge and a lot of mischief.”

“My stay here in Limkokwing gave me opportunities to interact with a vast variety of people with different characteristics, ethnicities and beliefs. I am now able to return back to the motherland (Botswana) with a new and better perspective of life. And I have the amazing, ever so inspiring atmosphere that is Limkokwing to thank for.”

‘Plentiful’ future ahead

Plentiful Tin Guan, a colorful young man with a wonderful name, kept the audience cheerful when he narrated the ‘history’ of his delightful name, one that he ‘hid’ behind to escape the teasing from his pun-full friends.

“All you have to do is believe in yourself. And one day, you will make a difference. I am now proud to say my name. I am Plentiful, thank you!”

‘Class of 2010’ is a new generation of global graduates with the ability to bring changes to their countries and to the world.