Turning setbacks into success: NP graduates find their calling after early life lessons

SINGAPORE – In 2021, Ms Lim Li Tong missed the grade required for her dream polytechnic course, forcing her to give up the place she had secured through the Early Admissions Exercise. Her mathematics grade in the O-level examinations fell below the requirement for the early childhood and education course, even though she had done better than expected in most of her other subjects. Instead of entering polytechnic, she enrolled in ITE College Central, where she studied event management. The detour left her ashamed and

embarrassed. She was even hesitant to tell others where she was studying due to misconceptions of ITE students. “People say it’s the end or that students there just don’t like to study,” she told The Straits Times. But her perspective shifted when she was in ITE College Central. “I always told myself that since this is where I am already, the only way to turn things around is by working hard in ITE,” she said. “I knew I couldn’t let my parents down again,” she

added. “I really wanted to prove that I can progress and do well.” In ITE, she realised that her strengths lay beyond classroom learning and rote memorisation. She immersed herself in research and group projects, often going beyond what was required of her to strengthen her abilities. That drive and determination paid off two years later, when she entered Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) to pursue her dream course. Her passion for working with children began in her childhood in Malaysia, where she was cared for

by a nanny. As the eldest of the five children under her nanny’s care, she helped to feed the younger kids, change their clothes and bring them to the toilet. “That’s when I found out that I really love and find joy in working with children,” she recalled. But it was during her practicums with children with special needs that she found her purpose in this field. During one practicum, she worked with a young girl who often refused to sit during lessons. While the

teachers conducted class, Ms Lim patiently interacted with the child every day until the girl began voluntarily approaching her and sitting on her lap during class. “You see (a child) progress from someone who doesn’t speak a single word to taking the initiative to say something,” she said. “It’s a very fulfilling (feeling) that I cannot find elsewhere.” These experiences inspired Ms Lim to pursue early intervention at NP, working with children who have conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and Global Developmental Delay in

their formative years. She recently completed a six-month internship at Rainbow Centre’s Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children. Initially unsure if she was suited for the emotionally demanding job, Ms Lim grew more confident after she saw the progress in the children and the happiness of their families. “I told myself, ‘this is it’,” she said. “My role matters to (these children and their parents), and they need more people to help them.” Ms Lim, now 24, graduated on May 7, 2026, with the

Ngee Ann Polytechnic Achievement Award, which is given to outstanding graduates formerly from ITE who have all-round achievements. She has accepted a full-time position as an assistant teacher (early intervention) at Rainbow Centre Marsiling Lane. She also plans to pursue a part-time degree in early childhood education at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, before eventually working towards a master’s degree in speech and language therapy. Like Ms Lim, biomedical science graduate Don Koo Hong Bin, 20, also experienced a turning point before entering NP.

In secondary school, he was unmotivated and directionless, spending most of his time gaming instead of studying. “There wasn’t much validation for my efforts,” he recalled. “Since my mum wasn’t around because of my parents’ divorce, I didn’t really have a mother figure to cheer me on. So I didn’t feel very accomplished.” Mr Koo’s father was the sole breadwinner of the family, and he often helped out at his father’s hardware shop during the school holidays. His turning point came during his O-level year,

when his parents hired a tutor to help him with mathematics, physics and chemistry. Before tuition, Mr Koo had scored a C6 for chemistry during his preliminary examinations. He eventually improved to an A2 for the O levels, motivated by his tutor’s belief in his capabilities. “He (said) ‘I believe in you, you can do this.’ And then I actually believed in myself and I did it,” Mr Koo told ST. “It was quite inspiring because I felt that not many people believed in me,”

he said. “Having that person you can rely on is quite impactful.” Mr Koo graduated from NP on May 4, receiving the Lee Kuan Yew Award as the most outstanding graduate from a technology course, and the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Outstanding Achievement Award for all-round excellence. At NP, he actively engaged in both academics and student life, joining rock climbing, taking up three minors, and participating in overseas programmes in Thailand and Australia. He also completed a year-long internship at Singapore General Hospital’s Department of

Neurology, where he worked on research on Parkinson’s disease using fruit flies. He developed FlyGPT, an artificial intelligence tool aimed at helping researchers track and count flies more efficiently during experiments. The flies were used in neurological research studying the effects of different drugs on their development. In the past, the researchers had to manually keep track of the movements of the flies. To develop FlyGPT, Mr Koo taught himself programming and computer vision – a sub-field of AI that trains machines to analyse and

interpret visual input – with help from friends and online resources. The internship gave him clearer direction for his career path. Although he entered the polytechnic interested in research, he eventually realised his passion was in another area. “This internship showed me that I wanted to do something more patient-facing,” he said. Mr Koo has received offers from both Nanyang Technological University’s medicine programme and the National University of Singapore’s dentistry programme.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic, NP, ITE, Rainbow Centre, early intervention, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Global Developmental Delay, FlyGPT, Parkinson’s disease, Singapore General Hospital, Lee Kuan Yew Award, biomedical science