The agreement signing ceremony for the Choice Foundation Scholarship was held in Kampar Campus on 17 August 2018. A total of 11 UTAR students from both Kampar and Sungai Long Campuses signed the agreement as the approved recipients.
Organised by the Division of Examinations, Awards and Scholarships (DEAS), the ceremony was attended by UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, representing UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik, and Founder and Director of Choice Foundation Datuk William Toh Ah Wah. Also present were Director of Choice Foundation-cum-UTAR Council Member Datuk Lim Si Cheng, Directors of Choice Foundation Dato’ Chan Choon Ngai and Doreen Faun, Choice Foundation Secretary Edward Tan Chun Kiat, Director of Division of Programme Promotion Lee Choy Fong, Head of DEAS of Kampar Campus Yeoh Meng Chin, both the old and new Choice Foundation Scholarship recipients, UTAR staff and student ambassadors.
Thanking the Choice Foundation for the assistance provided to needy UTAR students, Prof Choong said, “UTAR is and will always be a university by the people, for the people. Like Choice Foundation, many people and organisations have come forward to help set up UTAR through donations and contributions. The University has reciprocated by giving back to the community through scholarships and loans to students in need of financial assistance. To date, RM139.8million worth of internal scholarships and internal loans have been disbursed to a total of 14,330 deserving students. Another RM15.9million in external loans and scholarships were awarded by external sponsors to 611 UTAR students. With support from organisations and foundations like the Choice Foundation, we hope to continue providing financial assistance to students in need so that they may get access to a tertiary education and improve the quality of their lives and be able to supplement the income of their family.” He added, “I wish the students will use this scholarship as a motivation to continue learning and an encouragement to strive harder to achieve success in life. We are glad to be given the opportunity to receive Choice Foundation’s generosity. Once again, I thank Datuk Toh, Datuk Lim and Choice Foundation delegates for this opportunity.”
In his speech, Datuk Toh encouraged all the scholarship recipients to study hard to live up to the expectation of the donors and to soar high. He also urged the students to master English as it is an important language of knowledge. He inspired, “English is an important language for your career development. It will certainly enhance your competencies in many areas.” He added, “I would like to thank the University for giving us an opportunity to assist the needy UTAR students. Apart from the financial aid, we also provide coaching for the students. We have assigned some coaches to guide the Bachelor Honours degree scholarship recipients to succeed in their studies.” He also emphasised that the Foundation does not seek anything in return and there is no bond for students to commit after completing their studies. He urged the recipients to use the opportunity to excel in their studies and advised them to do their part for those needy and deserving students in the future. He explained, “The reason why we chose UTAR is because it provides quality education with affordable fees. Therefore, we believe that both organisations share the same values and uphold the importance of good education. Take this opportunity given to you and groom them.”
The scholarship recipients signing the agreement in the presence of (middle, from left) Prof Choong, Datuk Toh and Datuk Lim.
The highlight of the agreement signing ceremony came when all the scholarship recipients were individually called to the front to sign the agreements along with Datuk Toh, Datuk Lim and Prof Choong.
One of the recipients, Christine Chong Shan Teng, first year Food Science student, expressed her gratitude upon being conferred the scholarship. The scholarship covers full tuition fees and living expenses for the duration of the programme. Chong said the scholarship would enable her to buy more reference books for her studies. She added, “I have a sister and she is currently pursuing her higher studies. My parents are financially constrained because both of us are pursuing our higher education at the same time. The scholarship has indeed helped in relieving my parents’ financial burden.” Excited at the opportunity given, Chong pledged to give her utmost dedication to the remaining years of her tertiary education.
Foundation student Gan Yee Hong, who hails from Kajang, enthused, “I’m financing my studies with my own funds and with the help of my parents. I used to work part-time at some cafes and restaurants nearby the Campus to support my daily expenses. The scholarship will greatly reduce my financial constraints and will motivate me to study harder to achieve my goals and to contribute to the betterment of our community.” He added, “Having gone through a stringent round of selection process, I am in cloud nine knowing that I am a recipient of this scholarship.”
Choice Foundation Scholarship is an undergraduate scholarship scheme that aims to support high calibre Foundation and Bachelor Honours degree programme students of low-income families, who have also excelled in both their academic studies and extra-curricular activities. The scholarship was established in 2016 in UTAR, and since then, 21 students have benefitted from this scholarship. The scholarship covers full tuition fees and a monthly allowance of RM500 for the tenure of the scholarship.
Prof Choong (left) presenting a token of appreciation to Datuk Toh.
The ceremony came to an end after a souvenir presentation to Datuk Toh, followed by a group photograph with the scholarship recipients.
The guests and scholarship recipients at UTAR Gallery.
Founded as a not-for-profit private university with a mission to provide quality yet affordable education to all, UTAR offers numerous scholarships and study loans for needy and deserving Malaysian students.
Click http://www.utar.edu.my/deas/index.jsp?fcatid=389&fcontentid=1804 for further information.
To apply for the Choice Foundation Scholarship, please visit http://www.utar.edu.my/deas/file/Choice%20Foundation%20-%20Advertisement%202018.pdf
Other external scholarships and loans for UTAR students can be found at
http://www.utar.edu.my/deas/index.jsp?fcatid=389&fcontentid=1907
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