By: Chow Heng Yee
SERDANG, Oct 28 - "I want to prove to my mother that I can be a great athlete and at the same time be academically successful."
Holding fast to that determination, Nur Nadira Natalia Mohd Manshahar, 25, a national player for the women's rugby team, received a Bachelor of Education (Physical Education) at the 42nd Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Convocation Ceremony today.
"Although my mother does not encourage me to play rugby, I wanted to prove to her that I could be a great athlete even while studying," she said.
She said that the vigorous sport had her mother worried and she tried to persuade her to retire early.
However, she said she managed to convince her mother by showing determination in balancing her time between sports and academic.
"God willing, next year I will continue my studies at the master’s level while working as a rugby coach," she said.
Three weeks before the convocation ceremony, Natalia suffered a broken bone while playing rugby. However, that did not deter her from making UPM and Malaysia proud through the sport.
"I hope UPM’s women rugby players will continue to strive to raise the university's name at the international level," she said. - UPM
