Just borrow this phase from one of the sammyboy forumer here.
Death, debt & doubts can't get him down
By Karen Wong
LIFE has dealt student Wu Wen Jin, 24, the worst cards.
His father was at one point a bankrupt and his mother died of cancer when he was only 12.
He struggled with his studies and, at one stage, could not get a place in either of the two local universities.
Still, the former polytechnic student beat the odds and he's now not only well on the path to a degree but also has two scholarships lining the way.
One of which is the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship To Encourage Upgrading (Step) Award, which he will receive at a ceremony today.
He is one of a group of Singapore Polytechnic students who are scholarship recipients.
He grew up in a three-room flat in Redhill as an only child.
When he was in primary school, his father's injection moulding business failed, resulting in bankruptcy.
Then, when he was in Sec 1, his mother died of cancer.
The former St Joseph's Institution boy did well enough to get into junior college.
But, he confessed: 'I was not that disciplined in my JC days.'
After his less-than-stellar A-level results, he tried applying for a place in the universities but could not get into the courses he wanted.
Pressure
His close cousins were mostly graduates, and he said: 'When it came to my turn, the pressure was on me.'
So every year while he was serving his National Service (NS), he would send in his application to the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.
But his efforts were in vain.
While he was in NS, he picked up a gambling habit due to the influence of his friends.
He started gambling in hope that striking it rich would solve his family's financial problems.
Instead, he lost thousands of dollars betting on soccer and ran into debt.
But a chat with a friend, when he felt he had hit rock bottom, marked his life's turning point.
He started working during weekends and paid off his debts.
He also began thinking seriously about what he wanted to do in life.
He gave tuition and discovered a knack for physics, on top of his interest in cars.
Around 2003, he suffered another blow.
A close relative's business had failed and his father sold their Redhill flat so that he could use the proceeds to help the relative.
Father and son then moved to a flat in Jurong, which belongs to his father's close friend. They have been living there since.
But while his father had been discharged from his bankruptcy, he could not find regular work. So he did odd jobs.
Wen Jin said: 'There were a few times when I came back to find out that the utilities had been cut off.'
Luckily, he was doing part-time work and helped to pay the household bills.
Second chance
After national service, he joined Singapore Polytechnic to pursue a diploma in mechanical engineering.
It turned out to be right up his alley and he excelled.
He said: 'I could understand everything. It all just came to me.'
And so, he said, his hopes of going to university were re-ignited.
Madam Sung Ying, one of his lecturers and part of the team who shortlists students for scholarships, said: 'He was a very good student. He was conscientious and never late for class. That's why I kept a close watch on him.'
He has not let her down.
Despite having to work during some weekday nights and weekends, he did well.
And with his good results, he got a place in NTU to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.
On top of that he won two scholarships - the LKY Step Award and the University Engineering Scholarship.
He said of his achievement: 'I feel very proud. When I was younger, being a scholar seemed so far out of my reach.'
Especially when others were getting by in school, and he couldn't excel no matter how hard he studied.
He has learnt that setbacks do not mean the end of everything.
But it is through learning from mistakes that one can improve, he added.
He holds his father up as his role model.
He said that his father is someone who believes in not blaming others when you fail, but to look for alternative ways to make a living.
'That's where I got my determination from.'
So what's next for this gritty fighter?
Wen Jin replied: 'Malaysia has its Proton. I'm hoping that I can do something like that for Singapore.'
Death, debt & doubts can't get him down
By Karen Wong
LIFE has dealt student Wu Wen Jin, 24, the worst cards.
His father was at one point a bankrupt and his mother died of cancer when he was only 12.
He struggled with his studies and, at one stage, could not get a place in either of the two local universities.
Still, the former polytechnic student beat the odds and he's now not only well on the path to a degree but also has two scholarships lining the way.
One of which is the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship To Encourage Upgrading (Step) Award, which he will receive at a ceremony today.
He is one of a group of Singapore Polytechnic students who are scholarship recipients.
He grew up in a three-room flat in Redhill as an only child.
When he was in primary school, his father's injection moulding business failed, resulting in bankruptcy.
Then, when he was in Sec 1, his mother died of cancer.
The former St Joseph's Institution boy did well enough to get into junior college.
But, he confessed: 'I was not that disciplined in my JC days.'
After his less-than-stellar A-level results, he tried applying for a place in the universities but could not get into the courses he wanted.
Pressure
His close cousins were mostly graduates, and he said: 'When it came to my turn, the pressure was on me.'
So every year while he was serving his National Service (NS), he would send in his application to the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.
But his efforts were in vain.
While he was in NS, he picked up a gambling habit due to the influence of his friends.
He started gambling in hope that striking it rich would solve his family's financial problems.
Instead, he lost thousands of dollars betting on soccer and ran into debt.
But a chat with a friend, when he felt he had hit rock bottom, marked his life's turning point.
He started working during weekends and paid off his debts.
He also began thinking seriously about what he wanted to do in life.
He gave tuition and discovered a knack for physics, on top of his interest in cars.
Around 2003, he suffered another blow.
A close relative's business had failed and his father sold their Redhill flat so that he could use the proceeds to help the relative.
Father and son then moved to a flat in Jurong, which belongs to his father's close friend. They have been living there since.
But while his father had been discharged from his bankruptcy, he could not find regular work. So he did odd jobs.
Wen Jin said: 'There were a few times when I came back to find out that the utilities had been cut off.'
Luckily, he was doing part-time work and helped to pay the household bills.
Second chance
After national service, he joined Singapore Polytechnic to pursue a diploma in mechanical engineering.
It turned out to be right up his alley and he excelled.
He said: 'I could understand everything. It all just came to me.'
And so, he said, his hopes of going to university were re-ignited.
Madam Sung Ying, one of his lecturers and part of the team who shortlists students for scholarships, said: 'He was a very good student. He was conscientious and never late for class. That's why I kept a close watch on him.'
He has not let her down.
Despite having to work during some weekday nights and weekends, he did well.
And with his good results, he got a place in NTU to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.
On top of that he won two scholarships - the LKY Step Award and the University Engineering Scholarship.
He said of his achievement: 'I feel very proud. When I was younger, being a scholar seemed so far out of my reach.'
Especially when others were getting by in school, and he couldn't excel no matter how hard he studied.
He has learnt that setbacks do not mean the end of everything.
But it is through learning from mistakes that one can improve, he added.
He holds his father up as his role model.
He said that his father is someone who believes in not blaming others when you fail, but to look for alternative ways to make a living.
'That's where I got my determination from.'
So what's next for this gritty fighter?
Wen Jin replied: 'Malaysia has its Proton. I'm hoping that I can do something like that for Singapore.'
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