The story of Logathepan Muniyappan is one of quiet strength, and a determination born from hardship. Recently graduating with First Class Honours from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), he stood out at his convocation as the proud recipient of two major awards, the Gold Award (Anugerah Industri Hei Tech Padu) and the Silver Award (Anugerah Kecemerlangan Program).

But behind this academic excellence lies a childhood marked by loss, poverty, and painful expectations imposed on him long before he understood what they meant.

When Logathepan was just ten, he lost his father, Muniyappan. The grief of a child should never be compounded by judgement, yet during his father’s funeral, he overheard remarks that would stay with him for years. Some people cruelly claimed that he would “grow up to be a drunkard just like his father.”

“Those words hurt me in ways I didn’t know how to explain,” he recalled. “But they eventually became the fire that pushed me forward.”

After his father’s passing, his mother, Parameswary, was left to raise four children on her own, three daughters, Parathavani, Gayathry, and Perma Latha, and her only son, Logathepan. Their family’s struggles were so severe that they once appeared in the newspapers under the headline ‘Varumaiyil Vaadiya Kudumbam’, describing them as a household weighed down by poverty.







Whenever his mother reached out for help, she was judged rather than supported. Some relatives dismissed her struggles with remarks like, “Your poor family planning is not our problem.” Others mocked the young boy’s ambition of becoming a computer engineer, telling him to “be realistic,” as if dreams were luxuries he could not afford.

Yet his mother’s belief in him never wavered.
 

“She always told me, ‘Your only job is to study. Just study,’” he said. “Those words became my strength.”

Despite the challenges, Logathepan pressed on. He earned a full scholarship, completed his degree without debt, and surprised even the Vice-Chancellor when he became the only student in his convocation to receive two medals.

“We didn’t have money,” he said, “but we were never poor in determination or hope.”

Today, the same boy once labelled a failure, the same family that was pitied, stands proudly with achievements that speak louder than any insult ever could.

Logathepan is deeply grateful for the people who shaped his journey. He credits Caritas Ipoh, his mother, his sisters, friends, and various sponsors whose support carried him through the darkest years.

“I am here today because they believed in me when many others did not,” he shared.

His message to children facing circumstances like his is clear and heartfelt.

“Education is not just a path to a job. It’s a weapon, a quiet, powerful one that can protect your dignity and change your entire future,” he said. “Don’t stop studying. Don’t let anyone write your story for you. If my family and I could rise from nothing, you can too.”

In celebrating his achievement, Logathepan hopes to light a spark in every child who feels unseen, unheard, or underestimated, a journey that greatness can rise from the humblest beginnings, as long as one refuses to give up. Long way to go young man!