When opportunity knocks...

Ayden Ong’s A-level results did not meet the stringent entry requirements to NUS Arts and Social Sciences. Undeterred, the plucky student turned to the Discretionary Admissions Scheme, which allowed him to showcase his non-academic achievements, particularly his outstanding musical accomplishments. This year, he will be the first in his family to obtain a university degree, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and New Media.

Ayden’s relationship with music began at age 10, when he started playing the suona (a double-reeded woodwind instrument). In the years that followed, he performed with the Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, and participated in various Singapore Youth Festivals and solo music competitions. He was also a music instructor for Nanyang Primary’s Chinese Orchestra.

Despite his musical achievements, Ayden’s academic life before entering university was not a stellar one. Getting a place in NUS Arts and Social Sciences was a surprise and also the catalyst to changing his mindset on education. He was determined to take this opportunity not only to attain academic excellence, but also work on his leadership, interpersonal and relationship building skills.

“It’s not about what education can provide you,” he said. “It’s about what you can make out of it.”

Ayden committed himself to many projects, organising numerous student events and taking on the roles of NUS Open Day deputy project director for the College of Alice & Peter Tan and marketing director for Arts Bash in 2014. In addition, he did an exchange programme to the Netherlands and took up internships at public relations and advertising agencies.

His academic studies did not falter despite his many commitments. In his second year, he was awarded the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship by the Singapore Press Holdings Foundation, and made it to the Dean’s List.

With these excellent grades, Ayden could easily have pursued an Honours degree. Instead, he chose to make some headway in the corporate world. He is currently part of a media-buying platform start-up with a few co-partners, and is also actively searching for jobs in the areas of marketing and management consultancy.

“It was quite a struggle to make that decision, especially because I could have gotten a decent Honours conferment with my current grades,” he shared. “However, I particularly enjoyed the experience during my internships and I decided to start building my career earlier.”

For Ayden, his NUS experience was one of the greatest highlights and turning points of his life. He credited his three years in the University as essential not only for his intellectual and academic successes, but also for character growth and maturity.

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