Among Ngee Ann’s crop of Singapore Armed Forces scholars are 2010 Banking & Financial Services graduates and twins Rasmus and Rastus Chow, who are currently in their first year at the National University of Singapore.

BOTH OF YOU SCORED THE SAME SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP. BEING TWINS, HOW DOES THAT FEEL? Rasmus: It feels great! It’s one thing getting the scholarship yourself, but when you know that someone close to you got the same scholarship as well, you feel twice as happy. OF ALL THE POSSIBLE SCHOLARSHIPS, WHY A MILITARY ONE? Rastus: It was really about serving the nation. I want to ensure our family and friends can sleep peacefully at night. And I thought it would be an exciting experience to serve in the military for my first career. BOTH OF YOU WERE ALREADY SCHOLARS EVEN AT NGEE ANN. DID THAT PREPARE YOU IN ANY WAY FOR YOUR CURRENT SCHOLARSHIP? Rastus: My lecturers, advisors and friends at Ngee Ann spent time helping me develop as a person holistically. I know that all I have to do is be sincere, work hard and maintain the conviction that I’m doing the right things — and of course, actually do the right things! Rasmus: The activities that (Ngee Ann’s talent development scheme) The Christieara Programme organised helped to prepare me for the current scholarship. At Ngee Ann, there are always opportunities to go for interview or scholarship preparation workshops. They have helped me a lot. RASMUS IS STUDYING BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, WHICH IS RELATED TO HIS DIPLOMA. BUT RASTUS, YOU CHOSE SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT — POLITICAL SCIENCE. WHY? Rastus: It’s an exciting field of study because it helps me to understand the mechanics behind politics and why sometimes certain issues get attention from the government and certain issues don’t. I’ve always believed that school shouldn’t be about getting As, but rather, what you can learn from your lecturers. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO DO WHEN YOU GRADUATE FROM UNIVERSITY? Rastus: I could have a career with the Navy, or the other option is work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, life is fluid and dynamic and who knows, I might just start my own business! Rasmus: My ambition is to be a Commanding Officer of a Frigate ship. My long term ambition is to set up an orphanage in Cambodia or somewhere in Southeast Asia. I’d also like to set up a social enterprise in a developing country to help the locals in that country.

ARMY DAYS
Six Ngee Ann graduates won Singapore Armed Forces scholarships in 2011. Other than the twins, three of the scholars are furthering their studies in the local universities. The sixth scholar is pursuing a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering at the University College London.