Values in Action: Resilience

My name is Zunnur. I am currently studying at Raffles Institution and I am an alumnus of Teck Whye Primary School.

My most memorable moment from TWPS was going to the school’s spacious library to read (and to enjoy the air-con while talking to friends) during recess. I also remember taking part in skits during Cikgu Mariani’s Malay classes. The classes in TWPS were very unique and unlike other schools’!

In 2015, when I was in Primary 6, I was awarded the Raffles Institution Junior Scholarship. I was elated and shed tears of joy when I received the news. It was only made possible because of the support of my form teacher, Mr Andrew Koh, and then-principal, Mr Suraj Nair

It became my goal to go to Raffles Institution after primary school. However, my PSLE aggregate score did not meet Raffles Institution’s cut-off point. Although I was a little disappointed that I got posted to Kranji Secondary School instead, I decided to keep an open mind so that I could get the most out of my secondary school experience.

In KSS, I made new friends and got many opportunities to hone my leadership skills and enhance my education. In other words, I really enjoyed my time in secondary school too. I believe that it is important for one to balance his/her academic workload and play. For example, minimising distractions as much as possible when the exams are near can help make revising and studying much more productive. Choosing the right friends is also very important as they will influence your personality and attitude towards studying.

When the ‘O’ level examinations were nearing, I realised that I still had another shot at getting into Raffles Institution. One of TWPS’ values that stuck with me was to learn passionately. I studied hard and as effectively as possible, especially for the subjects that I did not fare well in such as Mathematics. When I received my ‘O’ level results, I managed to exceed my own expectations. When I found out that I had been posted to Raffles Institution via the Joint Admissions Exercise for the ‘A’ level programme, I felt really satisfied as all my efforts ever since primary school had not gone down the drain. I am sharing my story with you to encourage you and to show you that your path is never fixed as long as you put in effort.

If you have a dream, work for it! Aspire and Achieve!

Md Zunnur Iman Bin Md Aidil

Teck Whye Primary School Class of 2015