One of the questions that people often ask me is why I chose to study in Millennia Institute (MI) when I had other options. In response to this, I would joke about the excellent propaganda during my Provisional Admission Exercise (PAE) days. My comical answer masked the real truth; that I lacked the confidence to do well in a junior college. My grades, at best, were average. I kid you not when I tell you I had never so much seen a C-grade for my additional mathematics, and I never really be understood Physics much to the exasperation of my Physics teacher.

Maybe it was the passion with which the teachers taught at MI, or perhaps it was my fondness for the subjects I chose. Either way, I found myself doing well and delighted in it. It was this that gave me the confidence to push for better grades. Having three years instead of two also prove to be an advantage, for it gave me more time to practise and hone my skills for various subjects.

Besides developing academically, I also participated in many co-curricular opportunities such as competitions, seminars and workshops. These experiences have taught me valuable lessons and helped me get acquainted with other students my age. All in all, I had a most memorable three years at MI and I hope that when my juniors graduate, you would appreciate the school as much as I do.

-- Lam Kar Yee (07A2)

My days in O.I. were really colourful. I did everything as a student except study! A daily school day consisted of mischief, getting into trouble, lounging around and doing everything that can be done under the sun. I very much spelt trouble for my form teachers that I remember my form teachers, Mr Ahmad Manap and Mrs Heng commenting just how dreadful and unlucky it was for them to have to be in charge of me.

I remember many teachers who took time out to talk to me and try to understand just what it was that made me such a trouble maker. Mrs Wan Su Yin, Mr Lai K C, Mrs Tay Sor Har and Mdm Siti were perenially lecturing me. (How I miss those lectures!)

However, this changed when I was in Ubin undergoing my Sergeant Course for NS and getting to know about my results from my sister. Over the phone, I was deeply shocked and regretted very much not heeding my lecturers' advice to put in optimal effort for my A-Levels.

I passed my A Levels with very dismal grades. I felt a deep sense of envy when I saw some of my peers qualify for university.

It was then that I realised I had to strive for excellence and reach the highest rungs of success. I applied for entrance into Monash University(Australia) but had to do a bridging course.

I pushed myself and did well enough to be accorded into the top 15% of the cohort and was offered a partial scholarship by Accenture (Australia). However, the costs were just too high. I had to secure a loan of SGD$ 60,000 to undertake the rest of my tertiary education with the scholarship financing AUD$25,000.

Taking up that scholarship would mean a monthly repayment of $1,077.33/month! (My Maths was never stellar but put a dollar sign in front of any numerical figure and boy, could I count!)

I would be saddled with a debt of around SGD$78,000 when I graduate from my course of study. The choice next was simple. Sink or swim.

A lengthy letter awaited my course lecturer as I made official my exit as a full-time undergraduate. I interned as a Financial Planner with a Canadian life insurer and set out to be the best.

Wanting to be the best amongst my colleagues who had more than 7-16 years of experience under their belt wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

I put in no less than 16 hours of work per day, absorbing financial principles, investment strategies and pitfalls, reading up on market trading and analysis, summarising clients' portfolio...among other things.
Those days were nerve-wrecking. How I cried and how I despaired at wanting to master the subject.

Nothing could quell my thirst for knowledge for the subject matter. I was gradually making progress in my career.

The school got news of my development and I was invited to give a Motivational Talk in early 2008. At that point of time, I was ranked 31 out of 1,350 Financial Advisors in my company. I told myself that I would not return to school until I was the best.

At the end of 2008, I emerged as the Top New Financial Planner and Top Financial Planner amongst other accolades. A lucrative six-figure contract awaited me and I was offered to join another rival company but I turned down the offer.

In 2009, I challenged my own boundaries - I was the youngest individual in the company's 30-year history to claim the award of being the Top Financial Planner twice. To add to that was the fact that I was the only Malay to lay stake to the award twice in succession.

One important message I want to convey to fellow Millennians is that success ( I really am not comfortable with labelling myself as successful though!) isn't really construed from strength or knowledge but by WILL. Whatever the mind believes and conceives can definitely be achieved.

I am currently channeling most of my energy working towards my retirement at 33. I have about 7 years left and so far, God has been kind. My investment portfolio is moving along just fine. Whee!

I look forward to coming to school again (not late, presumably! haha!) and to celebrate the success of Millennia Institute and of the RELEVANCE that a centralised institute still has in Singapore's acadaemic arena.

They say ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’, and for someone like me whose passion is writing, this quote couldn’t be truer.

After graduating from Millennia Institute in 2004, I successfully applied for and got a place in the National University of Singapore. Since I was a repeat student, this achievement was a dream come true for me. My days in NUS were spent acquiring and devouring new knowledge as well as broadening my horizons. I majored in Sociology, delving deeper into the workings of society and the ways that it shaped people’s behaviour. My gratifying experiences at MI in public speaking, debates and emceeing prompted me to pursue a variety of extra curricular activities in the media field. It also led me to procure a part-time position with Genesis Education to train high achieving Secondary School students to maximize their potential to excel. This not only helped me fund my own tertiary education but also taught me vital skills in independence and the ability to multi-task.

Upon graduation, I was torn between pursuing my passion and taking up a more ‘stable’ line of work. I began at Hai Sing Catholic High School as an Allied Educator while contemplating entering the education service. After a year however, I realised that while I could coach students to excel in writing, I missed writing and expressing myself. As such, I joined Ping Healthcare as a Journalist to write for their in-house magazines - Livewell and Livewell baby.

Working in the creative field is something that I had always wanted to do. The lessons that I learned from my experiences in MI gave me the drive to follow my dream! The first time I saw my name in print, I felt that all the choices I had made thus far and the work I had put in to get where I am, were all justified.

I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to Mrs Joy Tan and Mr Raj for their patience, motivation and guidance throughout my years in MI. I hope the current students in MI learn as much from them as I did.