From rebel to top student

He would have verbal fights with his school teachers, and often get into trouble over his hair or attire.

Mr Asher Chua would also play truant a lot till his parents had to be called.

Sometimes, he would even catch a nap in an HDB block nearby till school was over.

But the person who once did all those things has since changed his attitude so much that come tomorrow, he will be graduating as the second top student of Republic Polytechnic's Diploma in Mobile Software Development (School of Information).

He got mostly As and his grade point average is 3.81.

Mr Chua, 20, has also been inducted into the Director's Roll of Honour for four semesters.

Looking back at his past, he said: "It was an experience. Without it, I wouldn't be what I am today. It was a bit rocky but it was probably necessary for it to happen."

Still, it wasn't easy to get to where he is today.

Mr Chua recalled how he used to try to avoid school when he was studying at Yuhua Secondary School.

"My parents would say they were okay with (me not going to school), but I noticed them getting more and more disappointed in me. I saw it in their eyes," he said.

In Secondary Three, the Express stream student finished last among his cohort and was told he would either drop to the Normal Academic stream or be retained a year.

Mr Chua chose to drop out. He was 15.

He worked at part-time jobs for three to four months - serving at a fast-food restaurant, distributing fliers and even selling ice cream.

He also helped his father, a cleaner at a Kopitiam outlet, to collect trays.

He recalled how his dad would leave home early in the morning and get home late at night.

He overcame obstacles with 'can-do' spirit

His mother got divorced when he was in Primary 5 and had to take care of him and his older brother.

Wanting to help support her, Mr Jovan Khoo, 23, turned to photography.

Even though he had only dabbled in it in the past, he decided to take it up seriously and make some money from it to help his family.

He watched YouTube videos to improve his skills and learnt how to take professional-looking shots.

Mr Khoo, who graduated yesterday with a Diploma in Integrated Events Management, said: "The first few months were a headache, to watch one video over and over again."

He also learnt to use editing software like Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Lightroom to enhance his photography and design.

The freelance photography he took up in 2013, in his second year at Republic Polytechnic (RP), helped earn extra money for the family.

He joked that he didn't get pocket money from his mother for some time.

His mum stopped school to support him

His mother got retrenched, and he had to switch from a full-time to a part-time course at the polytechnic.

But Mr Senthil Kumar Vincent Asokan never blamed his mother or felt sorry for his predicament.

He recalled how his mother had to stop her diploma studies at Temasek Polytechnic to support his sister and him after their father died when he was just five years old.

"Not finishing her course then was probably her greatest sacrifice. She sacrificed a lot. Too much, actually.

"It was through her whole life. The time and effort she took to come back to take care of us. She was there for us, all the time," he said.

Determined to help his single mother financially, Mr Kumar, 26, found work as a full-time football coach at the Singapore American School and took up a Part-Time Diploma in Sports Coaching at Republic Polytechnic (RP).

He graduated yesterday while his mother, who eventually got a masters, is now working part-time as a counsellor at the Stamford American International School.

This article was first published on May 5, 2015.
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