1. To the SIA Open Scholarship committee,
I am writing in my capacity as the H2 Biology, H1 Project Work and civics tutor of Tan
Hui Xin Michelle, and am pleased to be her referee to support her application for the SIA
Open Scholarship. Unlike some of her peers, Michelle didn't start off easy during her junior
college life. She failed several times in tests and examinations initially, greatly pressurizing
her academically. However, it was also during this tough period that I saw her strong
determination and perseverance.
Michelle knows she was not born to excel in studies, but firmly believes that hard
work can achieve even the impossible, following one of her life principles of "Effort is
Another Word for Miracle". As her Biology and Project work tutor, there were several times I
saw her put in great effort in her work, only to receive disappointment from it and yet, there
was never once I saw her mentioning that she wanted to give up. I have to commend that
her strong resolution was what allowed her to climb up from the bottom to one of the top in
her class eventually.
Just when she finally managed to consistently do well in her academics, Michelle
experienced the hardest period in her life in July 2013, when her parents decided to divorce.
Trapped between her two parents with no one to help her out, Michelle's grades started to
fall. With 'A' Levels approaching and her family crumpling, Michelle undeniably faced a
tremendous amount of stress in both work and personal life. However, even though life was
tough for her in this period, Michelle decided to approach me to talk about her situation and
how to manage it. After which, she worked even harder than before with another life principle
of hers to "Always Keep The Faith". She knows her priority and responsibility as a student
very well, and that is to excel in her studies no matter how tough her circumstances are. I
have to admit that it takes a certain level of fortitude for an eighteen year old to display the
maturity others lacked.
I can see that when Michelle falls, she would stand up by herself, and It is precisely
because of her strong willpower that she eventually manages to be one of the top students
in her class with a rank point of 87.75 in the GCE 'A' Levels. Her family circumstances have
made her a more resilient student, who understands the priority and virtue of hard work, a
positive attitude and the need to constantly adapt to a changing world. I believe she would
be a great asset to SIA given these qualities and therefore unreservedly recommend for the
SIA Open Scholarship.
POH WEI LEONG
Subject Head (Science Research)
Anderson Junior College
poh_wei_leong@moe.edu.sg