KUALA LUMPUR: The inspiring story of a Malaysian student who worked as a part-time cleaner in the United Kingdom in a bid to have his parents attend his convocation ceremony not only touched the hearts of many Malaysians, but has also received praises from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

The 23-year-old student, Muhammad Afiq Ismail from Kuala Krai, Kelantan was reported by the Malay Mail to have been working part-time up to 20 hours a week and still managed to obtain a first-class honours degree from the University of Essex in the UK.

Touched by his story and moved by his sheer hard work and dedication, Sultan Abdullah in a statement made available to the media yesterday, extended his heartiest congratulations to Muhammad Afiq on his fantastic results.

“His Majesty is also very impressed by Muhammad Afiq’s respect and devotion towards his parents and admires the sacrifices that his parents made to get him to this level of success. The story of Muhammad Afiq and his parents should be an inspiration to all,” the statement said.

The story of Muhammad Afiq was recently shared on Facebook by his friend and had since made its rounds on social media.

According to the Malay Mail, the accounting and finance graduate is now preparing to return home to start his professional career at an audit firm in October. — Bernama