Blind since birth, Yak Fang Ling graduates from Unimas with honours

KOTA SAMARAHAN (Nov 5): Top student Yak Fang Ling graduated with a Bachelor in Counselling with honours from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) here today.

Yak, who has been blind since birth, said she chose her degree to contribute to society.

“As a blind person, I’ve often been on the receiving end of help. But I want to give back, to help others as well.

“That’s why I chose counselling – I want to make a difference in people’s lives,” she told reporters after receiving her scroll from Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

Originally from Selangau, Yak only commenced formal education in Primary 5, as there was no school in Sibu willing to accept her.

“My mum and late father have sacrificed so much for me. I want to succeed so that one day my mum won’t need to work so hard in our small business,” she said.

She shared one of the biggest obstacles while pursuing her degree was accessing reading materials, as most resources, especially library books, were only available in hard copies.

However, she adapted by using online resources and praised her lecturers for providing soft copies of course materials, which made it easier for her to study independently.

“Mobility around the large university campus was another hurdle, so I have to rely on friends and classmates to help me navigate.

“Once I’m familiar with a place or location, I can manage myself in smaller areas on my own,” she said.

During her studies at Unimas, Yak said her most cherishes memories were spending time with her friends and doing assignments or projects together.

On advice for other students facing similar challenges, Yak said they must persevere.

“Don’t give up easily. Success is waiting for us. As long as we’ve done our best for ourselves and for our loved ones, that’s what matters.”

Yak is currently exploring job opportunities either in teaching or the civil service, and is awaiting responses to several applications.

She is also considering taking up a postgraduate diploma in teaching.

The Borneo Post has been chronicling Yak’s educational journey since she struggled to enter secondary education, despite scoring 4A’s and 1B for her Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) because there was no school in Sibu specialised in teaching visually-impaired students.

Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah went all out to help Yak, resulting in the Education Department opening a special integration class at SMK Sungai Merah.

In 2019, Yak achieved a perfect cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.0 for the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), earning her the Best Student Award in the Special Needs (Blind) category.