Describe, In Less Than 300 Words, The Values And Beliefs You Hold Strongly To.
Please Provide Examples Of How You Have Demonstrated These In Your Actions.
I believe that in life, you don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
As a child, I was pigeonholed as 'talented' by parents and teachers alike. This inculcated in me a toxic perfectionist; anything I set out to do that fell short of my own inflated expectations were disparaged by myself and discarded. This toxic perfectionism was tightening its claws around my earlier school days.
My redemption arc began at the start of my IB Diploma journey. Whilst in a mathematics tutorial, I was struggling with a question and my worksheet was blank. My ever so patient teacher saw the perplexity on my face and told me: 'It does not matter that you cannot see the final solution straight away, just start writing, and eventually you'll stumble upon the solution.' His words still resonate with me to this day.
Swapping out perfectionism for teeth-clenching, I steadily ploughed my way through the rigours demanded by the IB programme. Penning my Extended Essay and IAs on topics I am wholly unfamiliar with was daunting at first, but in hindsight, all the all-nighters spent scouring the internet were one of my most fulfilling academic experiences. I ventured out of my comfort zones and I took up leadership positions, became a founding councillor for our nascent student council, and spearheaded a charity group dedicated to community fundraising sales.
Coming to Singapore to serve NS, I was thrust into an alien environment. Beginning from ground zero with a botak, I was lost. But I held onto those words my math teacher said to me those years ago, and embraced every challenge with open arms, and managed to earn a rank I am proud of and make lifelong friends from all walks of life.