Curtin foundation students bring joy to senior citizens

Miri – 11 October 2019 – Over 20 Foundation in Commerce students and lecturers from the Faculty of Business at Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently visited and carried out a community service project at the Miri Home for the Aged as part of the university’s community outreach initiatives aimed at giving back to the local community.

The visit was led by the Vice-President of the Foundation Commerce Club, Tii Sang How. Accompanying the students were the Head of the Faculty of Business’ Department of Foundation Studies, Delon Chai Wei How, and lecturer Michelle Phua Siew Huei.

Tii said the visit was a most meaningful one as it brought joy to the senior citizens who thoroughly enjoyed their time with the students, especially when the students showed a willingness to listen to their interesting life stories.

The students and staff spent much of the day cleaning the interiors, windows, drains and walkways of the home, and spent time interacting with the 30 senior citizens, including entertaining them with some English and Chinese songs. One of the students also gave a Chinese yo-yo performance.

In addition, the students donated daily necessities like toiletries, rice and other food items to the home which is run by the Miri Chinese Charitable Trust Board.

Adding to Tii’s comments, Chai said the visit was beneficial to both the students and the senior citizens as it helped cultivate a sense of community and respect for the elderly amongst students.

“Sometimes, even a simple smile can make a difference. The joy in the senior citizens’ faces as a result of our efforts made it all worthwhile. We want our students to not only excel in their studies, but also become caring and empathetic individuals,” he said.

International student Abbdulla Bin Younus Naim remarked, “I hope there will be more activities like this in the future. I will never forget the smiles on their faces because of the simple acts we did.”

Curtin Malaysia’s foundation programmes challenge students to become active learners to apply knowledge within and across disciplines to cultivate innovative thinking required in a complex and rapidly changing world. The intensive one-year Foundation in Commerce programme ensures students are well prepared for undergraduate studies in commerce and business administration courses.

Teaching is supported by highly qualified and experienced academics, state-of-the-art technology and facilities including collaborative online learning rooms, distributed learning spaces and a newly-opened financial trading room to cater for a wide range of student learning needs.

Club vice-president Tii Sang How chatting with some of the senior citizens.

Students presenting a song for the senior citizens

Students listening attentively as a senior citizen relates her life experiences.