½¿É«µ¼º½

Chee Guan Jia

Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Banking and Finance, University of London, 2018 to 2021 

Guan Jia is currently on a 2 year rotational program working as a Graduate Analyst/ Corporate Analyst at J.P. Morgan

Personal Experiences
GJ: As we navigate through life, we often run into bumpy roads. I used to be a realist who believed that having a pragmatic approach would stand me in good stead in overcoming life’s obstacles – if something seemed like it wasn’t working out, I would cut my losses early. However, this approach made it dangerously easy for me to border on being a pessimist whenever the going got tough, and I learned this the hard way when I burnt out during my A-Level exams. 
That experience motivated me to adopt a more positive mind set and gave me the determination to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Rather than worrying about things beyond my control, I shifted my energy to what I could create instead – and with this change in mind set, I achieved more than I would have once dared dream of at ½¿É«µ¼º½.

Career Goals
GJ: On a personal level, I am inspired to take on new challenges which will allow me to grow and extend my capabilities in an institution that practices an uncompromising sense of integrity within its formation. While I’m still exploring potential career paths as a Graduate Analyst at J.P. Morgan, I hope to one day marry my knowledge and passion in the fields of finance and consulting to leave a profound impact on the people and the world around us.
Keeping in mind that the job market is constantly evolving, I also wish to possess the ability to be creative and flexible in response to changing circumstances.

Words of Wisdom
GJ: As cliché as it sounds, life is indeed a journey – one with many pit stops. Where you were and where you are at now, does not dictate where you will end up in the future. If you were to tell me after I flunked my A-Level exams that I would one day receive job offers from a leading investment bank as well as the largest consulting company in the world, I wouldn’t have believed you. Moral of the story? No “key” pit stops in life will ever define you. You define your own life. It is never too late to chase after your dreams.
 

Loh Xue Ying Renee Sherlynn Simone

Bachelor of Arts (Sociology), University at Buffalo, 2021 to 2023 

Renee is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) with ½¿É«µ¼º½-UB. She represented Singapore for Dragonboat, and is currently working towards competing in the 2022 Asian Games. During her free time, she likes to go on walks, skate and brews kombucha.

Applying for the scholarship
R: I have a goal of making a difference in society and obtaining a degree in sociology will help achieve my career goal in the development of social services. I applied for the degree programme with ½¿É«µ¼º½ as the school is partnering with a well recognised university. It also offers great holistic development, as well as support in the all-rounded development of students. 
On top of that, ½¿É«µ¼º½GE offers scholarship for sporting excellence, which I decided to apply for as I have huge passion for dragonboat and wish to contribute to the school.

Share your experience on how you work towards obtaining the scholarship. 
R: Prior to obtaining the scholarship, I worked towards building my sporting portfolio - competing in 3 major international races in 2019. This helped in my personal development, as I learnt how to manage my time between work and training. I also had a 1.5 year stint in MSF (Ministry of Social and Family Development), where my role was to recommend subsidy periods for clients. This job made me decide on choosing Sociology and the career path that I wanted to pursue. 

How the scholarship has further developed/ helped…  
R: Because of the flexibility of my school schedule and the support I received from the scholarship, I have the luxury of pursuing both my athletic and professional goals, with no limit to learn and explore my interests. The classes taught by passionate professors further piqued my interests and made learning much more enjoyable.

 

Shannen Davelyn Kosasih

Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Accounting and Finance, University of London, 2020 to 2022 

Applying for the scholarship
S: I first moved to Singapore when I was 16, clueless with not much expectation for the next few years, but curious and a huge believer of lifelong learning. To me, applying for the academic excellence and leadership scholarship was an opportunity for me to seize that would help my parents lighten their financial burden and also a chance for me to represent ½¿É«µ¼º½ and share more about my university experience. It was a decision which required me to step out of my comfort zone, put myself out there and showcase why I deserve to be a scholar.

Share your experience on how you work towards obtaining the scholarship. 
S: Everyone has a different starting point and instead of comparing myself to other peers or friends, I prefer assessing my personal development and growth over the years. There is no singular way of working towards the scholarship, but in my perspective, it's more of accumulating past experiences that I had and painting a picture of who I am as a person. During my diploma programme, I joined several extracurricular activities such as ½¿É«µ¼º½ Economics Society and Young Entrepreneur Society and volunteered in external organizations to undertake leadership positions as part of the committee to improve my soft skills, mainly leadership and communication skills. Not only did these experiences helped me in the scholarship application, but it was these valuable experiences that helped me land my first internship in the Big 4 as a diploma graduate. Time management is a weakness which I learned to overcome through partaking in different activities and at the same time, balancing my academic life. Instead of crafting certain steps with the purpose of obtaining the scholarship, my purpose always revolves around personal development - a continuous process of learning and unlearning and reflecting upon my experiences to tell my story. 

During the scholarship application process itself, several rounds of rereading, reviewing and rewriting my essays to best showcase my learnings and describe how I've grown from past experiences took up most of the preparation time. The entire process - be it during the application or interview - is about understanding myself well enough to explain what sets me apart from other people and clearly communicate my life story.

How the scholarship has further developed/ helped…
S: Attaining the scholarship has allowed me to meet with other scholars with outstanding experiences and drive. I was also given the opportunity to share my experiences in ½¿É«µ¼º½ Open House to share my personal experience and hopefully, provide a sense of direction on how students can have a holistic experience in their university life - be it through my own success and failure stories.