Top poly student rejects bond-free scholarship offered by school

Top poly student rejects bond-free scholarship offered by school

Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s top student made a surprising decision to reject a bond-free scholarship offered by the school, reported The Straits Times.

Ms Tok Kheng Leng, 19, was offered the Ngee Ann Kongsi foundation scholarship, which is awarded to the school’s top graduate since 1980. It also comes with a gold medal and $10,000 cash.

The scholarship covers undergraduate tuition fees at any Singapore or overseas university.

The biomedical engineering student scored a 3.99 Grade Point Average and will be among 5,000 students who will be graduating later this month.

More than half of graduates will continue their university education either locally or abroad, said the polytechnic.

Ms Tok explained that she has already been awarded a Global Merit Scholarship from the National University of Singapore, where she intends to pursue a Social Work degree.

The decision to switch from engineering to a different field of study altogether stemmed from her experience as a volunteer in polytechnic.

She is currently an intern at a Family Service Centre till July and is prepared for a career in social work. She wants to study locally to help her undertand society’s needs.

Ms Tok lives in a three-room flat in Queenstown with her father, a lift mechanic, and mother, a shop assistant.

This article was first published in Asiaone