Failure is not the end: Danish bounces back to win PUO Special Industry Award
By Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
IPOH: “I once felt that I had failed.”
That was the candid admission by Politeknik Ungku Omar (PUO) graduate Mohammad Danish Irfan Mohd Ikhwan, 22, from Batu Gajah, Perak.
He had previously dropped out of his studies before making a comeback and receiving the Special Industry Award at Session 2 of the 2026 Central Zone POLYCC Convocation held recently at Dewan Tuanku Canselor, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).
The Diploma in Information Technology (Networking Technology) graduate had initially enrolled in Geomatics at PUO.
However, he decided to quit after realising that the field did not match his interests.
“I felt that I had failed to become a son who could make my parents proud. At that time, I lost confidence in myself,” he said.
Danish, however, received strong support from his mother, who never regarded him as a failure.
She even travelled back and forth from Batu Gajah to PUO to ensure that he continued his studies.
“When I no longer believed in myself, my mother still believed in me. She continued to encourage me and gave me the strength to try again,” he said.
Danish eventually returned to PUO and chose Information Technology (Networking Technology), a field that was more aligned with his interests. He went on to achieve a CGPA of 3.75.
He said the decision was driven by his desire to prove to himself and his mother that he could still turn things around.
“Fall, then get back up. Failure is normal. As long as we are willing to keep trying, we have not truly failed,” he stressed.
Danish has since started working at the Perak Housing and Property Board (Lembaga Perumahan dan Hartanah Perak) as an IT Assistant and Content Creator.
PUO director Dr Salmi Che Meh said Danish’s story proved that failure was not the end of a dream.
For Danish, the award was a gift to his parents and a tribute to the lecturers who guided him, particularly his academic adviser, Rozita.
“We may fall, but we can get back up. Do not let one failure determine how far you can go,” he said.
