Kuala Lampur, Nov. 27 -- I still remember my convocation day clearly, even though it happened more than two decades ago. It was 2001, and instead of walking into Dewan Tunku Canselor like generations before us, we gathered at Stadium Putra (now Axiata Arena) in Bukit Jalil. DTC had been damaged by a fire and was undergoing renovation, so my cohort became the only group in Universiti Malaya's history to receive our degrees outside the campus.

At the time, it felt like a historical moment. A little unusual, a little grand. I remember standing there in my robe, looking around the huge stadium, the echo of footsteps bouncing off the walls, feeling strangely grown up and not quite ready. I was twenty-six, holding a degree in biomedical engine...