MSU’s 27th Convocation ceremony was held last week for the first time since the first MCO. The 4-day event was a whole new experience for all of us and one of the most memorable ones for MSU’s Faculty of Business Management and Professional Studies (FBMP) as it conferred a posthumous award for one of its students who passed away before having the chance to receive his scroll at the ceremony.

The late Muhammad Arif bin Md. Radzi, who passed away from a car crash completed his Bachelor in Human Capital Management (FBMP) last year and was regarded as one of the darlings of the faculty. His immediate family received the scroll on behalf of him. The award included a scholarship for the late Arif’s sister, Dr. Siti Aishah Md. Razi who is pursuing Master in Clinical Psychology for her specialization at MSU.


Dr. Aishah, who goes by the sobriquet Dr. Anje Radzi, was the closest sibling to the late Arif among all the other siblings. Dr. Anje really couldn’t accept the fact that Arif, the sibling she was very close to and shared a lot of memories with is no more and to come to terms with the loss is gruelling. With a 9-year difference with the deceased, Dr. Anje feels a huge part of her missing since the passing of her brother. Since then, she has been working around the clock to overcome the grief and help herself move on. This anecdote is a tribute to the young soul gone too soon.

MSU Malaysia had the honour to talk to Dr. Anje and is grateful for her allowing it to partake in their torment.

During the interview, we managed to ask her some questions about Arif and her perception towards him.

As she said, “Arif was a soft-spoken boy and always kept smiling no matter how hard things got around him and he never said no to anything or anyone as he would try his best to contribute as much as he could.”


She also recalled that Arif was a mommy’s boy and liked kids as he loved to entertain them.

“Arif was a boy full of potential and he always helped family members and neighbours without asking anything in return,” she continued.

Arif was known to be a happy-go-lucky and jovial man among his family and closest circle of friends.

Professed to possess a naturally reserved character by the sister, Arif was usually not seen amidst the partygoers of the family. He was said to abstain himself from vacations and holidays. However, out of the norm, he joined his family members to Kuantan for a short vacation just a month before he passed away. During the sojourn, he caught himself between loveable conversations that rekindled the overhauling memories he was fortunate to have with his sister.


“Arif had always loved to accompany me whenever I took the driver’s seat. He was so talkative, not the usual him, during the journey, and we both enjoyed going down the memory lane. At dinner, he ate a lot, and that was so the usual him. He took more than three rounds of dishes and my mom and I couldn’t resist but to cackle at his gluttony despite being skinny,” she said.


When asked about why she chose to do Master in Clinical Psychology for her specialization at MSU, this was her response:

“From my observation, more than half of my patients at clinic were emotionally unwell. The rest of the cases were because of pathological diagnoses. I wanted to help them combat depression and create awareness, not only for the patients or the community but younger generation,” she ended.

Subsequently, we also interviewed Arif’s mentor, Siti Roshaida binti Abd Razak, as we questioned her about Arif’s personality as a student and mentee. She answered that her late mentee Arif was a very helpful and kind person among other mentees.


She also recalled that Arif was a dedicated student. “He was always committed to the tasks given in the classroom or during lectures. He was also a very responsible student who always listened to the mentor and lecturers’ instructions. He was someone with a great attitude. His attitude was pleasant and he continued to impress me as a mentor with his kindness and sincerity. He never pretended to be perfect or know everything; anything he told me was coming straight from his heart. He was very honest,” she said.


Her validation of Arif’s personality and mesmerizing attitude was not a fiction but a reality even among his peers. He was a young man with a kind heart that did not have a callous heart for even his foes.

“He was always there for everyone. He cared for everyone around him. Due to his pleasant personality, he was well-respected by other friends in the faculty. He was very nice and considerate in everything, and was loved by everyone. And now, as a mentor, I feel relieved and pleased because Muhammad Arif received his scroll during the 27th convocation of MSU in a special ceremony. This was a long-awaited ceremony and a deserving award for him,” she ended.


Arif’s loss is not a story with a stretching halt but the beginning of lucid reminiscence. He was and will forever be regarded as a man with a noble heart; selfless and loving. He will surely be etched in the hearts of many. His story of triumphant survival and legacy will be passed on to generations of MSUrians to come. His story is not just a eulogy but the lore of an unthinkable young soul.