Finding Hope in Adversity

 

Despite coming from a broken family and having to work to support himself since he was 15, Fauzan Abdul Aziz believed in his potential and in second chances.
 

But it hasn’t been smooth sailing. Initially, he failed to secure a place in polytechnic after messing up his NITEC exam schedule at ITE: He misread the timing of the exam and the costly mistake led him to take up a second higher NITEC course.
 

After finally acing his exams on his second attempt, he got into Ngee Ann Polytechnic and decided, three weeks before school commenced, that he wanted to enrol into a different course offered only by Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP).

 

Luckily, NYP decided to give him a chance and approved his appeal to enrol into the Diploma in Multimedia & Infocomm Technology. Fauzan had good reasons — he wanted a more versatile, multidisciplinary course that equipped him with different skillsets.
 

Since then, Fauzan has never looked back. He found himself engaged by his course, and met dedicated lecturers such as Mr Flex Tio and Ms Joelle Kong, who inspired him to work harder.
 

“They will always prepare well for their classes and when students need their help, they will make time to be there for their students,” said Fauzan.
 

At NYP, Fauzan also had the opportunity to become an ambassador for his course by getting involved in student outreach activities. Despite still working part time, he also found the means to mentor to his juniors and often guided them in computer programming under the peer tutoring scheme.
 

“It also made me realise there are lonely students struggling with their studies in silence,” said Fauzan. “By befriending and guiding them, I feel like I have made a positive impact on their self-esteem.”
 

Fauzan felt that these experiences had helped him to grow as an individual.
 

He also found time to be the vice-president of his club and even managed, at one point, to complete five different programming projects before their deadlines and win the Best Mobile Application award in school for one of his projects.

 

Fauzan appreciated that NYP gave him opportunities to take educational trips abroad with his school mates, as well as a fulfilling 24-weeks internship at OCBC Bank as a mobile and API developer.
 

The experience gave him the opportunity to work on challenging live projects with a team of professional developers and motivated him to continue to craft his career as a developer.
 

Today, Fauzan is a proud graduate of NYP with a near perfect GPA.
 

He also took up the Earn and Learn Programme with Accenture, which allows him to work with the company while studying for his Specialist Diploma. He plans to pursue a part-time degree at NTU, and eventually return to NYP as a lecturer – after he has acquired enough working experience.
 

And for anyone who feels like life has thrown them a curveball, Fauzan has this to say:
 

“Don't be afraid to choose the tough path, because through adversities, you will find plenty of opportunities to reinvent yourself and grow your strengths.”

 

Because We Can