After waiting for so long, 35-year-old Muhamad Lokman Mohammad's dream of getting a degree has finally come true.
He was among 832 LASALLE College of the Arts students who graduated this year.
Lokman received a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Fine Arts.
The father of two children returned to school three years ago to pursue a dream he had been harbouring for a long time.
"I didn't want to burden my parents. Finances are a challenge in my family. Hence for me to be able to continue my education at a younger age, money had to come from my parents. It took some time for me to save money and continue my education until I was able to pay for my school fees with my own money," said Lokman, who began his career as an art teacher in a secondary school in 2015.
Photo: Syawal Yusoff
Since his children are only four and eight years old, he also had to balance the demands of school and family.
He is grateful to have had very understanding teachers and schoolmates throughout his studies at LASALLE.
"When I meet my teachers, we were able to negotiate for me to attend classes separately. Therefore, I was able to attend classes and not miss any even if I had to take care of my children," said Lokman.
WANTS TO BE AN INSPIRATION FOR HIS STUDENTS
The artwork he produced for his end-of-year project at LASALLE was called 'Speaking: In Left Ear, Out Right Ear', and combined sculpture with sound elements.
It is also more meaningful because it is inspired from his own experiences.
Explaining his work: "I also use idioms like 'talking to the wall' and also 'an empty can makes a loud noise'. My work shows what a failure in communication looks like."
Photo: LASALLE College of the Arts
In addition to bringing home a degree, Lokman was also among 16 students awarded with the LASALLE Award for Academic Excellence.
He is now back teaching at Bukit Panjang Government High School. In addition to wanting to be an inspiration to his family and students, he is determined to continue contributing to the arts.
"There will always be opportunities for our works to be exhibited and we can continue to be artists. Even though I work as a school teacher, if there is any opportunity for me to participate in an exhibition or art show, I will participate," shared Lokman.
WANTS TO EXHIBIT VARIOUS MUSLIM STYLES
Another LASALLE graduate who completed her studies this year is Khairina Sari Ramlan, 25 years old.
She received her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Fashion Design and Textiles.
Her interest in the field of fashion has been budding since childhood and it can be said that fashion is already flowing in her blood.
"Both my grandmothers are seamstresses and my uncle used to be a fashion designer too. Since a long time ago my parents have always said 'oh grandma is a seamstress and they love fashion too'. I've always loved clothes since I was little so why not try fashion," explained Khairina, the youngest of two siblings.
Photo: Syawal Yusoff
She has produced at least 40 designs while studying at LASALLE.
However, among the collection of clothes that she is proud of is the one featured in her year-end project.
Taking just three months to produce, the collection titled 'Underneath The Veil' features six fashion designs adapted to different ways of wearing the hijab.
"For this collection, I want to narrate the challenges experienced by a Muslim lady from another country and to show how beautiful the hijab is. From the hijab to the kimar to the burqa. I designed the collection by looking at how I could style the hijab in various forms," said Khairina.
Photo: Syawal Yusoff
For now, Khairina is busy with several independent or commissioned projects.
In addition to getting the opportunity to showcase her designs on the international stage and collaborate with big brands, Khairina hopes to build her own brand one day.
Khairina adds: "I wanted to produce a modest collection. Not specifically for Muslims. There are a million ways to style the hijab and you can look modest and still dress up. So I think we can be more creative in exploring how to style the hijab."
Last year, Khairina appeared as one of the finalists in the reality show on Suria, 'So Stylo!'
