2011

Another year, another HS graduate has done us proud. This time, the recipient of the prestigious LKY-STEP Award is Ms Jolin Chua Jie In from the HSN Class of 2010. Jolin is also sponsored by Tan Tock Seng Hospital for her ongoing study at Bachelor of Science with Honours in Nursing Practice, Singapore Institute of Technology/University of Manchester.

The section below is the citation letter written by us in support of her candidacy in the LKY-STEP scholarship:

LEE KUAN YEW SCHOLARSHIP TO ENOURAGE UPGRADING

(LKY-STEP) RECIPIENT 2011

Name:

Chua Jie In Jolin

Course & Polytechnic:

Diploma in Nursing (Health Sciences) with Merit, Ngee Ann Polytechnic

University:

Singapore Institute of Technology (University of Manchester)

Passion

Jolin Chua had one over-riding passion and this was to embrace the second chance that she had been given and to deliver her maximum academic potential at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. To this, she had admirably achieved her goals graduating from the School of Health Sciences (HS) with a near perfect Grade Point Average with 17 distinctions. This emphasis on achieving academic excellence might have accounted for her average CCA achievements. However, her CCA achievements should not be held against her due to some mitgating factors that would be detailed below.

Jolin is an over-age student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. When she completed her education 2001, her GCE “O” Levels was less than ideal and she left formal education for 7 years to earn a living. However, she knew that she was under-achieving and by maximising this potential, she would be able to contribute more to the society.For Jolyn, the “reprieve” came with the Nursing education at the School of Health Sciences. To quote her,

“To me, life is short. Therefore, it is important to me to live a meaningful and fulfilling life by helping and making a difference in people’s lives.”

This second chance is a manifold one. It allowed her to prove to herself that she can live up to her academic potential, and second to serve in a career that will enable her to return to society what the state had invested in her. In essence, to understand her psychology, the CCA spirit is evident in the energy and passion that she had thrown into her clinical attachment where even as a student nurse, she tended to her patients with great care, concern and professionalism. This was evident with the amount of academic and practical prizes that she had garnered in her stint in HS. In short, Jolin’s time spent with her patient should not be discounted when compared to candidates with more stellar CCAs. The LKY-STEP Award is for upgrading, and Jolin through her arduous journey to get to this point has proven that she had met the basic criterion of this award. Her choice of her future career and the passion that she put into pursing this path is simply the cherry on the cake.