National squash legend, Datuk Nicol David is among the retired athletes who made the nation proud, on and off the court.
In recognition of her contributions to the sport, she was recently awarded with an honorary doctorate from the Heriot-Watt University Malaysia.
She recently shared in Facebook that the award was in recognition of her contributions to sports and her support towards the impact of positive education in empowering lives.
After an acclaimed professional career spanning 20 years with 108 consecutive months as the world number one female squash player, Datuk Nicol David is now Datuk Dr. Nicol David.
“I’m especially happy to be awarded by Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, who I admire dearly. Thank you to the provost Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi. I had the amazing chance to share a speech with the graduates and I wanted to share it with you,” said Nicol in her social media post.
Taking to Facebook, the 38-year-old wrote that during her speech at the awarding ceremony of the honorary doctorate, she related to the graduates how her over 20 years of playing squash professionally had taught her great lessons.
“Life if never a straight forward path. We will encounter obstacles always in every step we take, some may be small, some may be big but we will always have to reroute to find our path.
“There is no right path in life, the beauty is finding the strength in you to push through when things get tough. Hard work will always pay off and being resilient for your dreams,” she wrote, further urging people to stay away from those who don’t encourage them.
This is because having a positive environment will definitely make a huge difference in a person reaching their dreams, Nicol added.
“Also, always remember no matter how successful you are, always be compassionate to others or the people around you. If you’re a good person in your life and in the career path you take, that really is the most important thing,” she added.
So, strive for your dreams and make this life count, said Nicol, who received a roaring response from the young audience.
