Lee Kuan Yew Award
School of Applied Science
Dai Jiahui
Diploma in Molecular Biotechnology
A D7 grade for English at the O Levels threw his previous plan off. Jiahui recalls with a smile how determined he was to enter Junior College during secondary school; but now, looking back, the D7 was a blessing in disguise.
It made him go for an alternative route – through NYP’s Diploma in Molecular Biotechnology – and the polytechnic’s teaching style suited him better. He also had encouraging lecturers and poly friends who helped him when he retook English, and where he scored a C5.
Undaunted by the setback, and to prove to himself that he can do a language well, he opted for a German language module in year 1. By year 2, he was leading NYP’s German interest club and he spent a month in a German university, to boot, as part of an overseas exposure experience.
He concedes it was tough going into a foreign land, navigating his way in a language he was still trying to grasp but it was an opportunity that he is thankful for. He says the stint also jogged in him a deep appreciation of his parents who are first-generation migrants. They moved to Singapore with zero knowledge of English, to give him and his siblings a better life.
In Germany, Jiahui was exposed to – and was impressed by – the deep national commitment to environmental sustainability. Then, during his internship at A*STAR’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, he saw how sustainability could be achieved through his own training in science and microbes. He’s now decided to pursue a career in this area.
As one of NYP’s top graduates (with a near perfect GPA of 3.93), Jiahui has won the Lee Kuan Yew Award and today aims to obtain a doctorate in Environmental Science. He has applied to local and overseas universities.
#BecauseWeCan