Ms Selvamary a/p Lourdesamy

From SMK USJ 12

Nominated by Jessica Menisha Gomez

Have you ever met someone who nurtures you, cares for you and guides you both academically and personally? Someone who has touched your life so much that you would remember them forever. This description may depict a mother, but to me this embodies my Guru Inspirasi - Pn Mary. She was a teacher who brought light to all the students. She gave us hope even when we were in despair because of our demanding Biology Paper and the requirements to ace them. She was like a candle that would shine so brightly, lighting the path while she herself would melt in the process of caring for us. Pn Mary would stay back in school for up to 5 hours everyday, just so that she could help us with our studies. She even opened up her home for us and let us in to give us extra classes when we really needed them. Just like a mother, she would make sure we were well fed and always asked us if we were hungry or too tired and needed some rest when she was teaching. Pn Mary pre-plans her lessons very diligently and always comes prepared with hand made notes to give out freely to all of us. Her notes are legendary as we have heard from our seniors that they still use it even when they proceed to A-levels. She makes sure we grasp the topic well and she knows each student's weakness individually because she takes the time to get to know and care for each one of us. Before I met Pn Mary, I never wondered why the roots of the Mangrove tree would have to stand upright and stick out of the water. I still remember her response, “Those are called Pneumatophores, Dear. They allow Mangroves to absorb gases directly from the atmosphere, and other nutrients such as iron, from the soil”. However, ever since I met Pn Mary, I studied everything so closely, I developed a sense of curiosity that I never had before. This helped me in so many ways, be in my studies or even in daily life. Pn Mary may be a Biology teacher but she supports her students in all sorts of things. There was a time I was asked to sing for the Princess of Selangor, Princess Zatashah because of a competition that was won by our school and she came to give a speech. I was nervous because I was only informed of this on the day itself but I did not want to let my school down. Pn Mary had a talent in singing that I did not know about until that day. She saw how nervous I was and offered to listen to me sing and coach me. She gave me the strength to sing in front of the whole school, the reporters as well as the Princess of Selangor. She was my biggest supporter. During my Form 5 year when I was sitting for SPM, my grandmother had passed away, everything felt like it was crashing down because it was so unexpected and upsetting. I felt like the world could not understand me, and I had no one to talk to; yet I had to sit for my Biology paper on that day. When Pn Mary heard the news, she immediately rushed to me and gave me the support I needed. She gave me the confidence that I was able to overcome this and do well in my paper because she believes in me and she told me that my grandmother would be so proud of me for this. Little did I know that that was exactly what I needed to get an A for my Biology paper that day. She was the reason I managed to pull myself out of that depressing moment and look to the future with hope and determination. Pn Mary inspires me to become a better person everyday. From her attitude of giving and not asking for anything in return to helping students and caring for them as if they were her own children. Many people have said that she has more kindness in her little finger than most people have in their entire body. There were times I did things for myself without thinking about others but every time I did that, I would think of her and the amount of sacrifices she has made for others without asking for anything in return. She is my role model and I aspire to be like her - kind, selfless and hardworking. Therefore, ever since I met her I have made sure to remember her advice and teachings of how to give without expecting anything in return for that is when we are truly giving. She has made me a better person in so many ways and I continue to strive to be like her everyday. She motivated me to obtain not just an A for my Biology Paper in SPM, but she gave me the confidence I needed to obtain 8A’s for my SPM which is one of my proudest achievements. It was considered unexpected results for me as I was having problems with my Add maths and Chemistry paper and things went totally downhill for me when my grandmother passed away. Nevertheless, she was there for me through it all and never gave up on any of her students and stood by them until the very end. Many of the students still come back to school to visit her and she still gets bouquets of flowers from students she has taught almost 20 years ago because of the enormous impact she has made in all our lives. I am grateful to have her as my teacher and I am a better person because of her. She is my Guru Inspirasi and I will remember her forever, Pn Mary of SMK USJ 12.