SHAH ALAM: Twin sisters never expected their university journey at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to culminate in such a proud achievement, with both receiving the UiTM 2026 Best Graduate Award at the university's 105th Convocation Ceremony today.
Making the occasion even more special, Puteri Sofea Nabeela Haris and her younger sister, Puteri Sofea Nabeeha, 24, graduates of the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences (FSKM), were proud to receive the awards from UiTM Chancellor His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, himself.
The Kuala Lumpur-born twins, who graduated with a Bachelor of Statistics, described their achievement as the result of consistent effort throughout their studies, as well as their parents' prayers and support and the assistance of lecturers, friends and the university.
For the non-identical twins, the opportunity to pursue their academic journey together was a privilege, made even more special by being able to celebrate their respective highest achievements at the same convocation ceremony.
Sharing their study techniques, Puteri Sofea Nabeela said studying together and exchanging ideas were among their strategies for understanding subjects, completing assignments and preparing for tests.
They also worked to maintain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 3.7 every semester, starting from their diploma studies, while ensuring that no important topics, particularly core subjects, were left out.
"We would brainstorm together for assignments and tests. Whenever we encountered difficult topics, we would seek help from our lecturers," she told Bernama after receiving the award at Dewan Agung Tuanku Canselor, UiTM, today.
Beyond their academic commitments, Puteri Sofea Nabeela said they were also active in faculty clubs and university-level activities, including corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, volunteer work and organising initiatives that benefited the community.
Asked whether they planned to pursue postgraduate studies, the twins said they wanted to focus on and adapt to their respective careers first.
Puteri Sofea Nabeela, the third of five siblings, is currently working at a prominent local audit firm in the field of automation using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to reduce manual processes.
Her younger sister, meanwhile, has joined a technology company as a software engineer and is involved in projects that use AI-based solutions.
At the ceremony, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim conferred the title of Professor Emeritus on Datuk Dr Roziah Mohd Janor, UiTM's first female vice-chancellor, and presented the UiTM 2026 Best Graduate Award to 15 of the university's top graduates.
Also in attendance was Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, who is also UiTM Pro-Chancellor.
The ceremony, which was also attended by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and UiTM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Shahrin Sahib @ Sahibuddin, marked the start of the presentation of diplomas and degrees in various fields to 32,630 graduates, with the convocation running until Dec 16.
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