USM Grad Almost Missed His Convo Due To Traffic Jam But A Motorcyclist Came To The Rescue
Now, netizens are looking for the 'mystery biker' as they hope the Good Samaritan would be rewarded.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 25 May 2022, 02:29 PM
A university student's worst nightmare was about to come true when he was trapped in a traffic jam on the Penang bridge, making him worry that he would miss his convocation ceremony
Panicked, student Kevin Rayappan resorted to hitchhiking.
He extended his arm out while putting his thumbs up on the bridge, and very quickly, a motorcyclist agreed to send him to Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) for his graduation.
Kevin's story was shared by USM in a Facebook post yesterday, 24 May, attracting over 6,000 likes and 470 shares.
In the post, USM said the 28-year-old student was feeling very anxious when he and his parents were still on the Penang bridge at 9am on Monday.
"I panicked because the clock showed 9am, but my parents and I were still stuck in the unusual congestion at the Penang bridge," said Kevin, whose photo of him holding his academic regalia on the bridge went viral on social media.
"I was determined to (get down the car) with the convocation robe to try my luck with the motorcyclists to see if any of them were willing to take me to the USM convocation ceremony."
USM said that a motorcyclist extended a helping hand and agreed to send him to his campus so that he could join his friends to graduate with a Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Commenting on the anxious moment, Kevin said he and his parents left their home in Seberang Jaya at 6.30am and did not expect the traffic jam caused by a fatal accident to last for several hours.
"At first, I hoped the congestion would not last long, but at 9am, the vehicles were still not moving. I was determined to (get down the car) and look for an alternative because my dream was just to go up to the stage to receive the scroll today (24 May)," he related.
He said he was moved that a motorcyclist was willing to send him to the campus.
"I did not have time to have a long conversation with the kind man who was willing to drop me because I was in a hurry but I'm taking this opportunity to thank him," he continued.
"Without his help, I may not have been able to get on stage today (24 May)."
Kevin's parents managed to arrive at the location in time to watch him receive his Master's degree.
At the end of the Facebook post, USM said they were aware of the traffic jam faced by graduates and had postponed a session of the ceremony by 30 minutes.
After Kevin's story went viral, netizens tried to look for the 'mystery biker' as they want to reward him for his good deed
"Did anyone see the biker's number plate? Please make this go viral. We should reward people for their good deeds," commented a Facebook user.
"The biker is the best for giving Kevin a ride. I feel touched (by the story). I hope Kevin can meet the biker again. One time, my family and I got into an accident and Indian friends whom I did not know came to help me," added another netizen.
"Hope that the biker can be found! He really gave a big helping hand to someone in a pickle," said a person.
