As with any graduates, Deanmozhi Seetha Pathi was looking forward to celebrating her achievement with her family on her convocation day on 27 November 2022. What was supposed to be a memorable trip to Penang turned out to be a bittersweet one as her father unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack in June this year.
While she was sad that her father was no longer around, it didn’t stop Deanmozhi, who graduated from WOU with a Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Human Resource Management, from making his presence felt. In a sweet gesture to honour his memory, Deanmozhi and her mother decided they would bring along a portrait of her father.
“My father promised to travel together with us to Penang, so I was super excited as I had never been on a holiday with my family. This was to be our first trip together,” she explained.
“My father was a lorry driver and my mother came from India. Growing up, I had no one to turn to for proper guidance in education,” she shared. “I was eager to break the stereotype that a lorry driver’s daughter will not succeed in life.”
She was over the moon knowing that her hard work had finally paid off and she could make her parents proud of her achievements.
“I have always been independent and never burdened my father regarding my studies. So, if he was around today, he would be extremely happy to see me receive my scroll,” she added.
She still misses her father and best remembers him as a kind and generous man who loved to feed the strays and provided food for the needy. “He once said this – never hold a grudge against anyone, do good and good will come to you,” she reminisced.