A Level Stories Class of 2019: Adaptability: Oh Jin Yuan
12 March 2020
Read how Oh Jin Yuan overcame family hardship during his A-Levels to achieve straight 'A's, and find inspiration in his story of resilience and adaptability.
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ADAPTABILITY
Name: Oh Jin Yuan
Class: 19/12
Oh Jin Yuan has been living with his grandmother since his father’s passing when Jin Yuan was younger. Mature beyond his age, he often helped his grandmother cook and also tutored his sister. It was typically only after these duties that he was able to start on his own homework. To optimise the use of his time, he also leveraged time in between lessons in school to revise and do his homework.
In the year of his A-Level Examinations, Jin Yuan’s grandmother was hospitalised for three months after a fall. Jin Yuan had to quickly adapt to and make the best of the situation. He and his sister temporarily stayed with his uncle. During this trying period, apart from the frequent shuttling between his own house, his uncle’s house and hospital, Jin Yuan also had to help coach his sister who was sitting for the PSLE. It was difficult for him to concentrate on his studies initially as he had to juggle between his academic studies and the demands at home. Despite the difficult family circumstances he faced, he persevered and adjusted to the unexpected predicament, and learnt to manage his time to catch up on his studies.
For the A-Levels, Jin Yuan performed very well, obtaining straight ‘A’s for his H2 subjects in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. He hopes to pursue Chemistry-related studies in the university and has aspirations of becoming a pharmacist.