Isaac Hong Wei En (Class of 2012 – Vice-President of the school’s Choir. Isaac is currently studying History at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and he is an applicant of the MOE Teaching Scholarship.

Excellence

Excellence has always been a value close to my heart, ever since my Barker days not that long ago. It is the idea of putting our best foot forward in different day-to-day tasks and responsibilities, big or small, regardless of any incentive or gain to be accrued. It is the encapsulation of the spirit of our School Motto, ‘The Best Is Yet to Be’. I have been privileged to see the importance of Excellence in the various stages of life that I have been through thus far, and here is one episode.

After completing Basic Military Training (BMT) in April 2015, I was informed I would be performing clerical duties and will be posted to a unit that was notorious throughout the camp for having “difficult” soldiers. I was put in charge of Regimentation and Discipline, which involved assisting my superiors to discipline soldiers who were Absent Without Official Leave, failed to report to work on time, malingered, and the like. Naturally, I became infamous for being the “bad guy” and the “charge clerk”, with many of the errant soldiers dissatisfied that I had not defended them in front of their superiors. Yet, from daily conversations and interactions with them, I found out that the majority of them simply saw no purpose for being in the army and would rather risk punishment than coming to camp. It was at that point that I had to decide – would I choose to honour my superiors and excel in the role that God has allowed me to be in, or yield to peer pressure to “help a brother out”? I wrestled with this extensively – and finally decided that I would execute my duties justly and fearlessly, regardless of popular opinion. I discovered that I could still exhibit kindness and empathy to my fellow soldiers while not compromising on carrying out my duties professionally and to the best of my abilities. It was truly this spirit of excellence that empowered me to perform my duties effectively through my unit life in NS.

Colossians 3: 23 says that “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”. Excellence is truly giving our 100% regardless of the circumstances we face, knowing our efforts are for God, not for men.