Sport And Talent Scholarship For UTAR Undergrads
In appreciation and as an incentive to students who are active in sports as well as other talents, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) introduced the Sport and Talent Scholarship Scheme for both its Foundation and Bachelor's degree students . Any student who has a proven track record of excellence or talent in a field, for example sports, music, art, theatre and writing, especially at the national and international levels, stands a chance of being awarded this scholarship.
Two student athletes who have represented the country in taekwondo and badminton were recently selected as the first recipients of this scholarship. They were Chan Suyin and Law Yew Thien, Year 1 students from the Business Information Systems and Computer Science programmes respectively. They were presented with their scholarship agreements by Tan Sri Datuk Dr Ng Lay Swee, UTAR President on 26 March 2008 at the Petaling Jaya Campus. Also present were Professor Engr. Dato' Dr Chuah Hean Teik, UTAR President-designate, Dr Tan Chik Heok and Dr Yeoh Suan Pow, Vice Presidents, Dr Tan Kee Kong, Registrar, and Ms Tian Peak Lim, Head of Department of Student Affairs.
A taekwondo exponent, Chan represented Malaysia in last year's SEA Games held in Korat , Thailand in the lightweight category. She has learnt this martial art since Form One, following in her brothers' footsteps. All three Chan siblings have represented Malaysia in different taekwondo tournaments throughout the years.
Apart from the SEA Games, this Kuala Lumpur-born lass has also taken part in three Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) Games, and hopes to continue representing her state in the next Sukma to be held later this year in Terengganu. Chan admitted that representing the country may take a back seat as she would like to concentrate on her studies, although she still trains with her teammates. "However, I will not leave taekwondo altogether. I will continue to take part in competitions which will not take me away from my studies for too long," she said.
"I thank UTAR for this scholarship awarded to students who are active in sporting activities. Awarding this scholarship is a motivation and a form of recognition to students who have talents in addition to academic excellence, encouraging them to be an all-rounder," she added.
Law, meanwhile, was a back-up national badminton player at the junior level. He has also represented the country in a host of badminton tournaments such as the Sri Lanka Satellite, the Singapore Satellite and Jakarta Satellite since his school days. Like Chan, he has also represented Kuala Lumpur in previous Sukma Games.
Currently studying at UTAR's Perak Campus, Law said that even though it would be difficult for him to continue playing badminton at the competitive level, he planned to remain active in sports. He also did not rule out coaching badminton to younger players in the future.
"I am happy to receive this scholarship as it will definitely lighten my mother's financial burden. For now, I will make sure that I give full commitment to my studies and maintain good results to justify this scholarship," he stated.
The UTAR Sport and Talent Scholarship is one of the various financial aid schemes available to eligible UTAR students. Among other financial aids offered by the University are the UTAR Scholarships for Top Achievers, UTAR-The Star Education Fund, UTAR-Nanyang Education Scholarship and UTAR-Sin Chew Daily Education Fund. Various loan schemes are also available. Students can obtain further information by contacting the Department of Student Affairs.
Photo and Caption:
Photo: Chan ( fourth from left ) and Law ( third from right ) with the UTAR senior officials after receiving their scholarship documents from Tan Sri Datuk Dr Ng ( fourth from right )