I am currently a year 2 undergraduate in the National University of Singapore (NUS) pursuing a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) degree. Previously, I studied in “famous” schools such as National Junior College and River Valley High School. The intense academic culture in these schools has allowed me to develop a strong passion for learning. Whenever there is something new that I am not entirely familiar with, I do not hesitate to ask questions and persevere on until I have the complete picture. In fact, I often stayed back after school to seek out my teachers to clarify concepts. There was this one time, a consultation session with my teacher stretched past 9pm and his wife called him several times as he was supposed to be meeting her. I was embarrassed for having occupied so much of his time, but he was adamant on answering all my questions before leaving since I had such a burning desire to learn.
During my 2 year stint serving in the Singapore Armed Forces at Tengah Ammunition Depot as an ammunition storeman, I was in charge of the storehouses and had to conduct weekly and monthly stocktakes on the ammunition inventories. As I like things to be organized, I always filed my stockcards and stocktake forms properly; unlike my peers who would simply throw them into a drawer. Naturally, they lost these forms and got a tongue-lashing from the commanders. On the other hand, I was always able to produce my forms and had no discrepancies with the physical inventories. This might seem like an easy task, but is actually not as the ammunition in a single storehouse can number in the millions. My insistence on producing quality work enabled me to shine out among my peers and as such, I was duly promoted to an appointment in the Depot Control Centre (DCC). This allowed me to cultivate my leadership skills as I was in charge of planning operations for the entire depot. As I am very meticulous in my work, I always make a point of checking my work a few times to ensure that no mistakes are present. Being in a position of authority as a DCC operator, I also made sure that my peers conformed to the same standard and did not give any sloppy work. All these allowed my department to achieve zero findings during the Internal Quality Audit; no mean feat given the vast quantity of paperwork being churned out daily.
I am not afraid of hardship and have even stepped out of my comfort zone by working as a dishwasher for about 6 months before entering university. It was a novel experience and gave me valuable exposure; one that could not be gained in a classroom or office. In NUS, I have also participated in as many events as possible, such as helping out in the Trienniel Intervarity Games and various science fairs, so as to gain a wider exposure to different people and have greater sensitivity for intercultural differences. I believe that my diligent nature and enthusiasm for trying out different things will see me in good stead in the future.
During my 2 year stint serving in the Singapore Armed Forces at Tengah Ammunition Depot as an ammunition storeman, I was in charge of the storehouses and had to conduct weekly and monthly stocktakes on the ammunition inventories. As I like things to be organized, I always filed my stockcards and stocktake forms properly; unlike my peers who would simply throw them into a drawer. Naturally, they lost these forms and got a tongue-lashing from the commanders. On the other hand, I was always able to produce my forms and had no discrepancies with the physical inventories. This might seem like an easy task, but is actually not as the ammunition in a single storehouse can number in the millions. My insistence on producing quality work enabled me to shine out among my peers and as such, I was duly promoted to an appointment in the Depot Control Centre (DCC). This allowed me to cultivate my leadership skills as I was in charge of planning operations for the entire depot. As I am very meticulous in my work, I always make a point of checking my work a few times to ensure that no mistakes are present. Being in a position of authority as a DCC operator, I also made sure that my peers conformed to the same standard and did not give any sloppy work. All these allowed my department to achieve zero findings during the Internal Quality Audit; no mean feat given the vast quantity of paperwork being churned out daily.
I am not afraid of hardship and have even stepped out of my comfort zone by working as a dishwasher for about 6 months before entering university. It was a novel experience and gave me valuable exposure; one that could not be gained in a classroom or office. In NUS, I have also participated in as many events as possible, such as helping out in the Trienniel Intervarity Games and various science fairs, so as to gain a wider exposure to different people and have greater sensitivity for intercultural differences. I believe that my diligent nature and enthusiasm for trying out different things will see me in good stead in the future.
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