When successful people mention their greatest achievements, many would speak about the awards they have attained, competitions that they have won and the recognition gained from others. Rarely, would you hear about improvement, more specifically holistic development.
Tay Fong Qing, 20, would be one of such individuals where his drive and motivation to do so came from humble beginnings.
His secondary school academic journey initially presented challenges, to which he then recognised the importance of dedicating more time to studying, especially for “O” Levels, which could have yielded better results. Having realised this, he was expecting his mother to be disappointed but instead she accepted the results and told him that he needed to work harder next time.
His mother’s kindness resulted in him realising that he has to work hard and take charge of his life. This newfound drive and motivation was what pushed him to stop taking things lightly and work hard to excel.
Greatest Achievement Attained
Not only did he perform and excel in his modules through achieving outstanding grades, but he also demonstrated exceptional leadership, creativity, and a deep understanding of the subject matter, setting a benchmark for his peers to aspire to. While academics expanded his worldview and skillset, his lecturers helped and guided him to make the best decisions and seize opportunities for success whereas his friends taught him compassion and empathy.
To further prove his growth as a person, Fong Qing managed to win the SUSS Brand Challenge 2023 with his friends and lecturers. Further showcasing that he is able to translate and apply what he learnt to produce results.
“My friends and I worked hard for it and getting to see everyone’s hard work turn into a win was really rewarding. I truly saw how hard everyone worked for the challenge, including my lecturers, they even came back on the weekends to help us rehearse for the final pitch” Fong Qing added.
Greatest Challenge Faced
Every success story comes with its own set of challenges that one has to overcome in order to succeed and for Fong Qing, it was staying consistent.
He stated that unlike other Junior Colleges or Polytechnics, RP has daily grading where it provides a conducive and productive environment with more holistic assessment when grading students but also presents a challenge to stay consistent and give it his all every day.
Facing a common challenge, Fong Qing discovers joy in learning and finds solace in his friendships, ensuring he never feels isolated. With a supportive network, he navigates through obstacles, making his academic journey less daunting and more fulfilling.
Three key tips to success
Having gone through the entire process to being the top scorer, Fong Qing has three key tips for students aspiring to succeed.
- Seek help from your lecturers
Fong Qing states that students should not be shy to seek help from lecturers if they are genuinely trying to improve and succeed.
From his experience, he would say that lecturers are generally happy to help you only if you want to help yourself. Hence, do not be shy and seek their assistance as they are there to lend a helping hand whenever needed, fostering a collaborative environment where everyone can thrive together.
He remarked: “I remember when I got an undesirable grade, I went to seek my lecturer to understand her expectations, what I was doing wrong and learnt how I can improve. This helped me to do better in the next learning package and it ultimately helped me get an A for the module.”
- Support Your Peers
Besides it being the right thing to do, Fong Qing also feels that helping others can really help you to succeed in your studies.
For example, helping someone understand a lesson concept can often help to deepen your own understanding of the concept as you need to know how to explain. The person that you are teaching may even ask you insightful questions to test your understanding even further.
It might even help you make friends with others, which is always a plus!
- Do not be too hard on yourself
There will be times where you and I make mistakes or underperform which is completely normal and understandable but this is also where most would crumble and falter.
Fong Qing states that falling short of expectations, be it from others or yourself can be really tough at times but he feels that it is important to know and understand that it is not the end of the world. The most important thing would be to never give up and try again.
He said: “Learning how to not be too tough on yourself and bounce back from a failure is crucial as being too critical of yourself can cause you to resent yourself and ultimately give up.”
Your time in RP will pass no matter what you do, so why not try your best and go the extra mile to succeed so you will have no regrets after the three years is over!
Tay Fong Qing
