YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON US!

Nibong Tebal, 26 October 2021 - Finally, the Minggu Siswa Lestari of 2021/2022 has come to an end! It was indeed a roller coaster ride, but we managed to overcome it all as a team! As the Director of Pembimbing Pelajar Siswa Lestari (PPSL) this year, I am glad to say I am very proud of how far the team has gone after 2 months of being together through thick and thin.

Minggu Siswa Lestari (MSL) was held roughly about a week consisting of talks and briefing for all new undergraduate intakes of this year. Interestingly, this year after battling with a pandemic our campus managed to welcome students from School of Chemical Engineering & School of Materials & Mineral Resources physically on campus, while the other school attended the orientation week via online. While taking serious precaution on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), PPSL managed to ensure the MSL flow runs smoothly.

One of the highlights of MSL this year is the campus tour Co organized by Unit Sukan under Division of Students Development Affairs & Alumni (BHEPA) together with the PPSL team from the Sports Exco. Students get to tour around campus and get to see stunning views available on campus as it was being done close to sunset on that day of 20th October 2021. Not only the new students get to tour around campus while playing games and interesting activities, PPSL themselves get to know our campus and university better as most of the PPSLs are among second year students which didn’t get the chance to come to campus during the first COVID-19 outbreak. Although we didn’t get to have Majlis Makan Malam (MMM) or a grand dinner at the end of orientation due to some circumstances, we managed to stay positive and provide alternatives to students and PPSL to enjoy and celebrate the end of orientation week.

All in all, this 61 days of being together has shaped all of us PPSL into a better person which leads to producing high quality leaders. After several post-mortems each day on everyone’s work, feedback and constructive criticism were given to improve each of us in many ways. Together we grow, and it’s a learning curve that everyone is going through. PPSL will be a great example for new students as they’re the ones that will be looked up to.

My last advice to all students, have fun and enjoy your upcoming four years in USM. It will be a bumpy ride, but full of learning and self-development towards yourself so embrace it. Don’t forget you’re not alone, if you have any problems don’t be afraid to voice out and talk to someone. It’s very crucial to not keep it all inside, as it will be a great burden. We have counsellors on campus for you to reach out to. PPSL will always be there for you if any help is needed, simply chat through our Telegram group. With that said, I sincerely wish all students the best in their first semester in Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Yours Sincerely,

Farah Zahidah Farah Zahidah binti Abd Halim (FAZA)

Director

Pembimbing Pelajar Siswa Lestari (PPSL) 2021/2022