Many people have achieved success through hard work and perseverance. But for
some, success is harder to achieve because of unusually difficult circumstances
and problems. Yet there is one person I know of who succeeded in spite of great
obstacles. He is my classmate and dear friend, Lokman Hussin. Lokman or Man as
he is affectionately called, is a pleasant-looking boy with a cheerful smile. He
is also a very intelligent boy. He can solve Mathematics problems faster than
most of us. He has a fantastic memory and can recall important historical dates
and events easily. He speaks well and always scores distinctions in essay
writing. The only area in which he does not outshine
us is sports. The reason is because Man is blind.
Man's physical disability is a serious enough problem but there is yet
another problem that makes his life even harder. Man's parents also suffer from
impaired vision. They are unable to work, and so they
live from hand to mouth. You might think that in the face of such
odds, he would have very little hope of getting anywhere in life. But no. Man is
not the sort to give up easily.
Man's quick mind and hard work enabled him to do well in his studies. Our
teachers saw his eagerness to learn and do well and they
went out of their way to help him. Such hard work and
determination can have only one result and that is success. Man was one of the
top scorers in the SPM exam last year. He received a sum of money as a reward
and better still, he got a scholarship to study in the best university in the
country. His parents were invited to the award ceremony where the Minister of
Education made a speech praising Lokman for his wonderful achievements. Man's
parents shed tears of joy and the entire school rejoiced with Lokman on his
success.
It is Man's ambition to become an economist and to serve the country at the
National Bank of Malaysia. All of us are confident that he will achieve his goal
because whatever the odds, Man has the courage and determination to overcome
them. |