A Level Stories 2020 Batch

Isabella Tiaras Cheng

Isabella inspires those around her through her caring and selfless nature, demonstrated through her actions towards her friends and community.

Believing that every individual can be the change they want to see in the world, she has actively looked out for her classmates’ well-being and reached out to them to help them through their struggles. This was in spite of her juggling between her revision for her A-Level examination, a busy CCA schedule and some personal issues that she was managing at the time.

As President of the Students’ Council, she paid special attention to the character development of the councillors under her charge in Students’ Council, building in them the focus required to complete significant tasks and the communication skills required to mediate difficult conversations. 

She also gave back to the community during a project undertaken as part of the Alpha Program. The project gifted 280 frontline healthcare workers from Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic with hampers containing items to energise them and to show appreciation for their efforts as they continued to battle the COVD-19 crisis.

In ASRJC, her Class and Students’ Council Mentors, Ms Wong Kai Ning and Ms Cristee Koh respectively, were her pillars of support, turning to them for a listening ear in times of personal strife. Their small but powerful gestures of concern inspired her to ‘pay-it-forward’ and help those around her through their difficulties as well.

Isabella is considering a career in healthcare or foreign relations, and is exploring her options for a course in university.

All the best, Isabella!

Ong Chee How

Chee How’s inquisitive mind sees no limit in Science and Mathematics, as he sees that there will always be new things to explore and new knowledge to be uncovered. 

His deep passion for Nanoscience motivated him to take part in the Science Research Programme organised by the National University of Singapore where he and his team researched Indium Oxide. Chee How and his team would eventually present their research at the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair, winning a Silver Award for their efforts. 

Chee How was also able to share his interest in the subject of robotics with his fellow CCA mates as the Head of Robotics, where he planned and conducted lessons and organised Robotics competitions for his fellow club members.

After having participated so actively in STEM-based activities, and having taken both Higher 2 Mathematics and Higher 2 Further Mathematics at the A-Levels, Chee How wishes to pursue a double major in Mathematics and Business Analytics at the National University of Singapore. If possible, he would like to further his studies by taking up a Master in Data Science and Machine Learning.

All the best, Chee How!

Lim Wen Shu, Emily

Emily has a passion for Art and Literature. She believes both subjects are inextricably linked, and provide exciting perspectives with which to view life around her. She actively pursued her interests by taking these subjects at the H2 level for her A-Levels.

Pursuing her interests (cum studies) has not been without its challenges for Emily. Keeping up with the changes in her Art coursework proved difficult, and the Circuit Breaker also brought about issues when she had to share the space at home with her four brothers. 

Nonetheless, Emily overcame these challenges by being adaptable and flexible. She planned her revision schedule around her brothers’ timetables, and also reviewed the prioritisation of the topics for revision so that she would have ample space, time and bandwidth for revision. Her resourcefulness and determination enabled her to achieve the Best in Subject in H2 Art and H1 General Paper at the JC1 Promotional Examination as well as the Best in Subject in H1 Math in the JC2 Preliminary Examination. She also found time to participate in the Harvard Model Congress Asia as well as the Alpha Program.

Emily is looking to pursue writing as a career. As such, she hopes to explore different types of writing in university, such as screenplay and creative writing, to apply what she has learnt in Literature and Art thus far and to discover her personal writer’s voice. She is keen to take up a double major in English Literature and Art History.   

All the best, Emily!

Lee Jun Cong, Zane

Zane is an exemplary student and leader, who has a profound passion for law. His interest in Law was sparked when he took part in the 11th Junior College Law Programme in which he took on a two-week internship with a law firm. There, Zane became convinced that law is a powerful tool that can bring about improvements in the life of others and that his outspoken nature could be used for the greater good. 

In his spare time, Zane read through the judgements of Singapore’s Supreme and High Court archives to expand his knowledge of Singapore law. To hone his persuasive skills, he took part in the Harvard Model Congress Asia in Tokyo, where he contributed actively in the debating and drafting of the Model United Nation bills, which were eventually endorsed by his international counterparts in the General Assembly.

Zane understands that in practicing law, it is important to listen to and develop a sense of empathy for the people in the community. In ASRJC, he would often lend a listening ear to Uncle Henry, the school’s bookshop vendor, as he shared with Zane his personal struggles. While waiting to enlist in NS, he volunteered at the Meet-the-People sessions for his constituency. Hearing the struggles of these people strengthened his belief that legal representation should not only be an entitlement to the rich.

Zane aims to pursue a career in criminal or family law, and is considering studying Law, Political Science, or Public Policy in University.

All the best, Zane!

Kavya Prabakaran

From young, Kavya’s parents and teachers would share with her stories of Indian history and culture, which sparked her interest in the Tamil language and Indian culture. She thus enrolled into the Tamil Language Elective Programme (TLEP) at ASRJC as a way to stay connected and learn more about her heritage and to pursue her interests. 

As part of the TLEP, she had the opportunity to learn from professors and researchers who specialised in Tamil language, culture and heritage. Through these interactions, she gained new perspectives and skills, such as translation, which Kavya believes is an important tool to improve communications in multi-racial Singapore. 

Kavya was also a member of the pioneer ASRJC Tamil Debate team. With hard work and sheer determination, she and her team members secured the very first championship for the college and set a record of having a Best Speaker from ASRJC for every round of the debate during the National Tamil Debate, Sorrsilambam 2019. Kavya herself, was the Best Speaker for the Quarter-finals. 

Kavya is considering a career in teaching as she has been greatly inspired by her teachers, especially Mdm Vani, who taught her H2 Tamil Language & Literature in ASRJC and imparted many valuable lessons on resilience and the pursuit of excellence. Alternatively, she would like to pursue a degree in Psychology, particularly in Criminal Psychology and Child Psychology, and hopes to become a psychologist in the future. 

We wish you all the best for your future endeavours, Kavya!

Schuyler Walter Chua Zong Han

Schuyler is a self-motivated student who was focused on achieving excellence in all of his endeavours. His incredible passion, talent and aptitude for Volleyball secured him a place in ASRJC through the DSA-JC route. 

As a competitive Volleyball player in college, Schuyler and his team achieved Second Runner-Up in the 2019 National 'A' Division School Games. In recognition of his Volleyball performance, Schuyler received the Singapore Schools Sports Council Colours Award in 2019. His love for the sport and his leadership qualities were affirmed by his CCA seniors, who voted him as Captain of the team. Under his leadership, the team witnessed an exponential improvement in skills and forged strong teamwork. Schuyler’s achievement of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Young Leaders Award in 2020 was a testament to his strong leadership skills. 

Besides being a talented and dedicated sportsman, Schuyler performed well academically. He achieved the Top Arts Student and Top in H2 Literature Awards in the 2019 JC1 Promotional Examination. He was also awarded the College Advisory Committee Scholarship in JC1 and was part of the Alpha Programme.

Given his many achievements, Schuyler has applied for several scholarships and hopes to pursue a degree either in Economics, Literature or Psychology at the National University of Singapore.

All the best, Schuyler!

Darren Yeo

When Darren was in primary school, he enjoyed singing along to the theme songs of the Chinese dramas he used to watch. Recognising his interest, Darren’s parents encouraged him to join Choir as a CCA in school. Darren has since been in a choir for 6 years, joining ASRJC Choir after secondary school. 

Darren has had many positive experiences while in the ASRJC Choir. He learned about hospitality and singing while on an overseas choir exchange with Chulalongkorn University. He built up his self-confidence undertaking a solo during ASRJC Choir’s Open House 2020 performance. He felt a great sense of achievement following the performance of the choir’s SYF pieces, which they had spent months mastering. 

Despite his lack of formal music training, Darren gamely took on the role of Assistant Student Conductor, heeding his mother’s advice to seize any valuable opportunity that presented itself. He was greatly inspired by the choir’s student conductor, who showed him the ropes, guided him during training and taught him the importance of flexibility to ensure that training sessions could continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The support he received from his Student Conductor, together with the sense of camaraderie amongst his choir mates, is something Darren will remember fondly. 

If possible, Darren would continue pursuing his interest in choir in university. He hopes to study Biochemistry, or delve into the field of Veterinarian Science given his love for birds.

All the best, Darren!