Making an impact
LOOKING back at the year gone by, Vythilingam Siva Shanmugam can only pinch himself that dreams do come true.
The Cambridge A-Levels alum credits his time at Taylor’s College as not only the period where he was able to get the grounding he needed to get into his dream university, University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom but also where he built up his support system, which gave him the motivation to believe in his dream.
“My mathematics teacher, Mr Lai Wing Kean and chemistry teacher, Ms Kwek Saw Lian encouraged me to participate in competitions to gain wider exposure in my subject areas.
“I owe my success in competitions to them.
“I attribute my achievements to Mr Balachandran Palaniandy for his continued guidance and moral support in helping me to not only grow my confidence and knowledge but also make my résumé more impressive, which contributed to my successful application to Cambridge,” he said.
Vythilingam also credited his teacher, Hariandra Muthu, for helping him to achieve his Cambridge dream. “In the short time that I’ve spent here in the UK, I’ve come to appreciate the mentorship that my teachers showed me.
“The soft skills that I built up on while at Taylor’s College has allowed me to fit into the university life quicker than I expected,” he said. He obtained 4A*’s in his Cambridge A-Level finals.
Fellow top scorer, Setthasorn Ooi Zhi Yang agreed with Vythilingam that the grounding received while studying at Taylor’s College has stood him in good stead.
“While I believe that a classroom education is important, I do think that another component to higher education is personal development.
“I was able to participate in a number of activities that were available to all the students at Taylor’s College, which allowed me to manage my time better.
“By doing so, I have gained an experience beyond the four walls of the classroom, which in turn has made me a more wholesome individual,” said Ooi, who was the recipient of the 2018 Taylor’s College President’s Award.
Ooi who scored 4A*’s in the examinations, started his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBCh) at Cardiff University a few months ago.
“It has been easier to adapt to studying overseas thanks to my approach to life. I strongly believe in empowering people as much as I can.
“My time at Taylor’s College allowed me to be involved in various humanitarian and charity projects and I hope that I will be able to do so even while studying in university,” said Ooi, who has a long list of accolades to his name.
He said that his driving force has been his ability to embrace the possibilities life has to offer.
“If there was one thing I could share is that change is not to be fearful of.
“I hope that my juniors will step out of their comfort zones and explore the different perspectives, ideas and cultures of the society out there because there is so much to take in,” he said.
Fellow 2018 Taylor’s College President’s Award recipient, Shivajoothi Selvarajan said that her active nature has moulded her personality and shaped her into who she is today.
“Apart from being an avenue to relax after a long day, participating in extra-curricular activities allowed me to grow my circle of friends.
“As someone who loves networking with new people, this acted as a great platform for me to venture to life outside of books,” she added.
Shivajoothi used her time at Taylor’s to excel in every aspect of student life; be it improving her grades, working to understand a complicated biological concept, or working with peers to solve an issue.
“I was able to achieve everything I wanted as I charted my development and strived to manage my time.
“I tried to accomplish my daily goals as much as possible, which then meant that I had extra time to take part in extra-curricular activities,” she said.
Taylor’s College campus director Josephine Tan said: “Our students are able to blossom into impactful individuals thanks to their self-motivation and the quality of the teaching and learning.”