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Starting on 23 July, Saturday, the top of each cohort will be honoured for their
hard work and diligence at the Academic Awards Ceremony. For the first time,
Republic Polytechnic's (RP) Academic Awards Ceremony will be officiated by each
school. We are inspired by these students we have interviewed.
 To
Murni, the future holds countless possibilities. On the one hand, she enjoys
writing, and would like to take reporting standards in the Malay newspapers to
new levels. On the other hand, the
Diploma in Technology and Arts Management student enjoys working in the
theatre. She has performed on stage, manipulated puppets, been a casting
mistress, written scripts and directed productions for RP.
This has involved working in group situations, which she says is
teaching her how to communicate and helping her hone her people management
skills. I've also learnt to be curious about things around me and to find out
more about what I don't know," said the former Compassvale Secondary School
student.
Her most immediate goal though is to do well enough in her
studies to be able to pursue a university degree in language, preferably in
Singapore. "I'd feel more comfortable studying here," she confesses. As a result
of her many commitments, her biggest challenge, she says, is the constant battle
to find time to pursue her other interests - making videos which tell short
stories and enjoying her eight-year-old cat, Commot, which she adores.
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 In
his free time, Dannie can be found at his neighbourhood community club,
helping out and listening to the stories of the old folk there. "You learn
about all kinds of things from them," he muses. "Some of them lived through
World War II." Listening to and learning from others has served him well.
His main "motivator", he reveals, has been his mother, who brought him up
single-handedly from the time he was in Primary 6.
It was she who urged him to read the newspapers, just to get him to read,
when he was in primary school. Now, says the
Communications
and Information Design student, things do not feel quite right if he has not
browsed through The New Paper everyday. Writing for a living though is another
kettle of fish. He is more fascinated with the public relations and advertising
aspects of the media industry, which has fascinated him since he was young. "I
like how it is dynamic and ever-changing."
Meanwhile, the third-year student is aiming to keep his name on the academic
roll of honour, where it has been since his first semester. Asked how he's
managed it, he explains: "Every day, when I go to class I tell myself that I'm
going to learn something from it."
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 Her
enjoyment of interacting with people and organising events prompted Dewi to
pursue a course in
Integrated
Events Management. And she has been getting practice in it ever since
through RP's JIVE Interest Group.
"The events the group has organised and joined has helped me gain more
knowledge of how to stage something, as well as, improved my ability to work in
a team," says the 20-year-old. One of them was the Ignite Music Festival, where
she helped with the marketing, setting up booths that offered balloon sculpting
and which sold the merchandise of the Children's Cancer Association, an
organisation at which she volunteers.
Her industry attachments have given her more exposure. Las year, she was a
guest relations officer at Sentosa Nature Discovery and a race ambassador at the
F1 SingTel Grand Prix. "That allowed me to meet and find out about people from
around the world," says the only child, who speaks Bahasa Indonesia and
Mandarin, besides English.
Unlike many her age, she enjoys spending time with her family and travels
with her parents. Their last trip was to Taipei. "We prefer free and easy
holidays and visiting cities." She also like to read Chick Lit, and her
favourite author is Marian Keyes.
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 Yizhe
spends at least an hour or two a day on sports. However, he does not play a
single game regularly, he watches sports and writes about it. "I've played some
badminton, basketball and football," he says. "Recently, though, I took up
running to get fit."
His lack of fitness is the result of a fall from a height of around two
storeys four years ago. It worsened his scoliosis (curved spine). Surgeons were
required to put two screws into his back. These have earned him the nickname
"Screws".
A Roger Federer fan, he follows tennis closely. He also enjoys watching
football, and his favourite team is Real Madrid. About two years ago, at the
suggestion of his facilitator Jan Lin, he began writing for
www.redsports.sg a website which covers
local sports.
"It has greatly benefited my studies because I get to experience first-hand
what I've learnt at RP," says the 19-year-old, who was home-schooled from the
time he was in Primary 3.
The future is less clear cut for the third year
Sports and
Leisure Management student. "I wanted to become a sports journalist, but as
a result of my course and the opportunities that RP has given me, I'd like to
try something else. Something that has caught my eye is sports marketing."
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 Attending
an Institute of Technical Education (ITE) proved to be a useful beginning for
Chun How. It helped him realise he has a practical outlook and provided him with
the platform to move on to a polytechnic. Now he is aiming for a masters degree
in computer science.
"Going to ITE was just taking a longer route," he points out.
It was his interest in gaming - he spends around 90 minutes on it every day -
which led him to take up
Information
Technology, and his experiences since have opened his eyes to other things.
During his industrial attachment, he was exposed to sales of software
programming.
Joining RP's Conservation Interest Group, he says, highlighted how people
waste resources. "Now, instead of grabbing chilli sauce packets at a fast food
outlet, and throwing away what's not used. I just take what I need."
Participating in the Pre-University Seminar 2009 revealed how others think
through situations. It proved useful during the HR Challenge 2010 National
Competition. His team's 2,000-word proposal on managing diversity in the
workplace won the group second place! He believes that RP's Problem-based
Learning (PBL) system has had a large part to play in his success. "I like
having a target and looking for ways to achieve the end result I want. It gives
me the push to perform every day," he says.
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 Looking
at the list of study awards that Cheng Shu managed in a single year, it is easy
to conclude that she spends most of her time engaged in activities that help her
score high grades.
But the 20-year-old, who has merit award, module and diploma prizes, indulges
in past-times that require little thinking. She enjoys watching dramas on TV,
listening to music, singing and sleeping! "Relaxing is essential," she notes.
"One shouldn't be tense."
Her attitude has certainly paid off for the Malaysian, who travels from her
home in Johor every day to attend classes in Singapore. Her O-Level results were
good enough for her to continue on to a junior college. However, she decided to
follow in her older brother's footsteps and study
Materials Science at RP.
She did so well last year, she landed a Hong Leong Foundation scholarship.
"We shouldn't decide where we go based on the academic results we have," she
philosophises. "Any place allows one to excel if one puts one's mind to it."
Attending RP, she reckons, has been worth it, particularly because of its
Problem-based Learning system, as it has taught her how to do research and learn
on her own, as well as given her the confidence to make presentations.
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 How
are air traffic controllers able to manage the hundreds of planes that land and
take off from Changi Airport every day? The question so intrigued Syamil that he
joined the small group of students at RP studying for a
Diploma in Civil Aviation, a decision he describes as "being a real
eye-opener".
In his quest to join the traffic marshals of the skies, he plans to continue
with a degree in the aviation/aerospace sector. He should have no problem, as he
has won awards for three modules last year, and was also on the roll of honour
in semesters 1 and 2.
The 20-year-old's studies are in direct contrast to his other interests. He
plays the guitar, and enjoys exploring mangrove swamps and nature reserves. On
campus, he is president of the Cyriva Club, which he says has helped him learn
about teamwork, leadership, communication "and so much more".
The only son - he has four sisters - also volunteers at self-help group
Mendaki, where he has gone on to become a mentor to children from
underprivileged families. He's also a member of the Malay Youth Literacy
Association, or 4PM.
"Interacting with the needy has allowed me to discover a whole new meaning to
life," he says.
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