1) The speaker delivered a speech to graduating students of Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) thanking PETRONAS, friends and family for their support during their studies. 2) The speaker shares memories of arriving in Malaysia from South Africa and the diversity of students at UTP, which provided a strong education and lifelong friends. 3) UTP prepared students well for the workplace through practical courses and presentations, and the speaker encourages graduates to use their education purposefully and not see themselves as just professionals in their fields.

1. We are Not Ordinary!
This is an edited version of the speech delivered by Zimkhita Buwa to the Universiti Teknologi Petronas First Convocation
Ceremony in Cape Town on 10 November 2007.
RECTOR, UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI Petronas. Vice President Education, PETRONAS. Country Manager,
PETRONAS South Africa. CEO, Engen. Director General, Department of Minerals and Energy. On
behalf of the graduating students of UTP I would like to thank the Department of Minerals & Energy,
our sponsor PETRONAS. all the parents, spouses, families, and friends who encouraged and
supported us as we worked towards our graduate degrees. I would also like to thank all the UTP staff
members who were always there when we as confused students needed help. You not only served
as our Instructors but as our mentors, and friends. Thank you to PETRONAS South Africa for making
this special event possible.
I tried very hard to get out of delivering this speech today! Those of you who know me know that I
am not one of many words but when I started preparing the speech my heart was filled with
memories that I took with me when I left UTP. Today, I would like to share some of those memories
with you. The memory of arriving in Kuala Lampur for the first time in June of 2000 with our winter
jackets and boots only to be greeted by a wave of hot air as we stepped outside the airport. We
arrived at UTP not knowing what to expect, not knowing what the next four years had in store and
not knowing how much our lives would change because of the opportunity we were given. UTP has
meant something different to each of us. We were a community diverse in thought and background
with students stemming from as far as Vietnam, Turkmenistan and Equatorial Guinea, to name a
few. Although this diversity was seen as challenging, uncomfortable and sometimes exhausting, UTP
somehow made it remarkably rewarding, powerful but most of all, exciting. This diversity helped to
give us an education stronger than that we could have received anywhere else. We explored ideas
for the first time, and dealt with challenges that made us rethink opinions and adapt to others.

2. We made friends with people we never would have otherwise met, and these friends and the
memories we have shared will be treasured for years to come. The memory of us staying up until the
early hours of the morning preparing for our assignments, exams and projects. I never understood
why we were always encouraged to work in teams until I reached the workplace and understood
team dynamics from day one. I never understood why we had to present all our projects to a panel
of examiners dressed formally from first year until I had to make my first presentation at work in
front of managers on a subject that I knew very little about. I walked away from that presentation
with everyone telling me how impressed they were. I now realise that UTP's practical approach to all
the courses offered prepares students for the workplace and ensures that we are productive from
the first day of employment. The memory of the 'Green-bus' to Ipoh where we did our grocery
shopping. The sandy-beaches of Pangkor & the glamorous lights of Kuala Lumpur.
My speech would not be complete without mentioning China Town, the shopping paradise for us
women who love shoes and clothes. For our male students there was Bukit Bintangwhere you could
get gadgets such as phones and cameras at reasonable prices How can I forget the tasty blend of
spices in the cultural foods from the Pasar Malam (night market) I try every now and again to make
Nasi Goreng (fried rice) but it never tastes as good as the one from the UTP canteen. As you can see
there are far too many memories to mention but I hope I have given you a taste of what UTP was
like for us students. To my fellow graduates: 'There are few earthly things more beautiful than a
university." wrote John Masefield in his tribute to universities - and his words are equally true today.
He did not refer to towers or to campuses. He admired the splendid beauty of universities, because
it was, he said, "a place where those who hate ignorance may strive to know, where those who
perceive truth may strive to make others see." Never allow yourselves to forget that Malaysia and
UTP are not ordinary places and you are not just average graduates UTP is a remarkable institution
and for four years we lived in a country that is rich in historical and cultural significance. It was only
upon my return to South Africa that I realised similarities between our two countries. One of the
similarities that stand out is the commitment that our governments share towards youth
development. It is due to this dedication that we are here today celebrating our achievements. Let
us therefore not live in the confines of our professions. Let us not merely see ourselves as Engineers
and IT Specialists because “we are not ordinary!” We are pioneers who were hand-picked to serve a
purpose.
Many people have helped us to reach where we are in our lives today and this is not only a chance
to celebrate but to also thank them. I would therefore like to reiterate our gratitude for the role our
families and friends played in our journey. Our sponsor PETRONAS we will be forever grateful, the
DME for coordinating this magnificent initiative and finally, on behalf of all the graduates, let me
thank the UTP Staff for their instruction and dedication to teaching. I would also like to thank the
many companies and government parastatals in South Africa that have opened their doors to the
UTP graduates such as PETROSA, ESKOM, SITA, SASOL and especially Engen. Thank you for giving us
a home and allowing us to grow and develop our skills. May you not get tired, may you surge forth
and continue to support PETRONAS and the DME in this initiative.We go forth now, in hope and
inspiration, all of us sharing a common legacy – all of us proud UTPians of a little town in Malaysia
known as Tronoh. And with UTP Pride, May We Go Forth to Prevail! Trima Kasi, Thank You!