Daily Lessons from Life 23 May 2014 - Two raise the bar at Temasek Polytechnic

"Two raise the bar at Temasek Polytechnic - The Straits Times Friday, May 23, 2014

SINGAPORE - There isn't much anyone can tell Ms Nurul Nabilah Mohamad Fuad about grit and hard work.

It is those qualities that have allowed 22-year-old Ms Nurul to triumph over the severe physical disabilities that have confined her to a wheelchair since the age of six.

Her determination will see her graduate this year with a diploma in mobile and network services from Temasek Polytechnic.

She will also receive the Ngee Ann Kongsi Most Outstanding Overcomer Award next Monday at her polytechnic's first graduation ceremony. The award goes to a student who has shown resilience in overcoming setbacks.

Ms Nurul was born with a condition called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a rare birth defect that affects the joints and causes difficulty in movement. It left her arms and legs almost entirely twisted around.

By her second birthday, she had endured five operations but she was still able to use only her right hand. Yet that did not stop her from trying hard in school."Mentally, I'm okay, and I wanted to be a normal kid. I wanted to be in a mainstream school environment," said Ms Nurul, who has never gone to a school for students with special needs or disabilities.

She recalled: "In primary school, there were parents of some of my classmates who asked me why I was studying there, and why I wasn't in a school for disabled students." But such comments merely spurred her on to work harder.

Another blow came when her parents divorced in her second year of polytechnic. She now lives with her older brother and her mother in a Yishun flat. "I was very sad and affected. I wanted to drop out of school but my mum encouraged me to continue studying. She said education is very important. She is my best friend and my pillar of support," she said of her mother, a freelance masseuse and her family's sole breadwinner.

"Winning the award is great, but I'm glad I was able to overcome the hardships. I'm looking forward to starting life afresh," added Ms Nurul, whose grade point average is 2.9.

She has a job offer from tech giant IBM as an IT coordinator and is waiting to hear from one of the local universities after applying for a place.

Fellow polytechnic student Jared Kang, 20, has also done well, becoming the first law and management graduate with a perfect GPA of 4. His decision to switch from junior college to polytechnic has paid off as he is one of the first two students from his course to be offered a Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship.

"JC wasn't my cup of tea as I wasn't interested in subjects like physics, economics and mathematics," he said, adding: "In poly, it was more independent learning."

Mr Kang, who has an older brother and whose parents are both teachers, will apply to read law at Cambridge University this year."

Kudos to Ms Nurul and Jared. Both have done exceptional well. Obviously, the achievement of Ms Nurul is even more remarkable considering the adversity she has to overcome.

Lessons for me are:

1. Mr Jared has shown that there are many ways to the top, if we define the top as academic study. Whichever way it may be, the determining factor is always the intention and behaviours that demonstrated the intention of the STUDENT himself or herself! I salute Jared for showing a different path. A path less travelled for sure but a path worthy to take as long as one is clear about why this is the way forward for himself or herself;

2. Ms Nurul's case deserves special mention as it is an inspirational story. It demonstrates the heart and grit of the young lady in pursuing her academic studies in adverse situation. Obviously the other complementary factors like a friend-and-pillar-of-strength mother, accommodating schools' folks like administrators/educators/classmates and others help a lot. Her own determination and resilience probably is the most critical factor of her achievement. Keep it up!;

3. I salute both of them for their achievement. Hopefully others can see a different path to academic pursuit from Jared's case while the so-called physically disadvantaged people can take heart that they can achieve much if they are as determined as Ms Nurul is. Why it may be unfair to put the burden of 'role model' on her, it is a point bear remembering for Ms Nurul that she CAN, if she feels comfortable, to be the 'I did it and SO CAN YOU!' role model.

May they go on to bigger things in life, in their own way, to be even better person besides being academically qualified students!