Ruzlina Maswari, 2001
First Class Success
On 28 August 2007, Berita Harian featured our A&F graduate, Ruzlina Maswari, who was well on her way to achieving her lifelong dream of becoming a chartered accountant. Ruzlina graduated from Temasek Polytechnic in 2001 with a Diploma with Merit.
Back in 1996, Ruzlina failed to gain admission to a polytechnic after her O levels, and had to go to ITE instead. However, she kept her dream close to her heart and worked hard to get a place in TP’s Accounting & Finance course. Through sheer determination, she recently received a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours from the Oxford Brookes University. This qualification is part of the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) programme which will give her the Certified Public Accountant qualification. By the end of 2008, Ruzlina will complete the ACCA programme, which she has concurrently embarked on a part-time basis since 2004.
“I was disappointed when I couldn’t go to the Poly the first time round, Ruzlina recalled. “But I didn’t give up, because I was determined to achieve my ambition via a different route - the important thing is we must know what we want.”
Now working as an officer in a finance firm, Ruzlina’s interest in accountancy had always been inspired by her mother, Mdm Noraini Abdul Rahman, age 57, who was an accounts clerk. Ruzlina said that she was also interested in accountancy because “the finance sector is the engine to the economy”.
On 27 August 2007, Ruzlina was accompanied by her parents to receive the degree in a ceremony at Marina Mandarin Hotel. Her father, Mr Maswari Marwan, age 65, is a dramatist with the stage name M Wari. On her daughter’s success, Mdm Noraini said: “Of course I am proud of her hard work and determination to get her ambition, even though it’s a longer route with a lot of sacrifice in terms of time and money.”
“Hendak seribu daya, tak hendak seribu dalih,” she adds. This is a Malay idiom which means “if you want something, you will go all out to achieve it; if you do not want to, you will find all excuses not to”. There were 138 graduates who received their degree. Ruzlina was amongst the 22 who received Honours in the ceremony. We congratulate Ruzlina on her stellar achievement!
Adapted from an article from Berita Harian, 28 August 2007
