On Point for Success

As a fencer for 15 years, Chin Chun Wai knows that a point is rarely scored in the moment it lands – it is a culmination of training and strategy honed over time. “The audience only sees the action, but 90% of the work is in your preparation,” he explains.

This same instinct guided the student-athlete’s path to Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP). Growing up in a family rooted in the sciences, Chun Wai realised his strengths lay in a different direction. Applying via the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE), he chose his course the way he approaches a match – methodically, then decisively. Business Studies felt a clear fit for someone who thrived on ideas rather than equations.

At NP, Chun Wai carried that sense of purpose into his learning journey. As he explored opportunities across campus, he realised that no two journeys were the same and that he could shape his own path. “No one has the same experience here,” he shares. “What you take away is determined by what you choose to do with your time.”

He made the most of it. NP's Business Studies course gave him the flexibility to keep up his intensive fencing training while fully immersing himself in campus life – from the Overseas Immersion Programme and Poly Forum to the National Youth Council Leaders course. He also joined the Leo Club, earning the Bronze Community Service Award for over 30 hours of volunteering and events-based leadership.

In his second year, Chun Wai chose to specialise in Entrepreneurship, a decision made in 5 minutes. That was exactly how long the lecturer’s pitch took to win him over. “I wanted to learn how to pitch ideas convincingly – to tell a story and have it land well,” he beams. In SPARK!, NP’s incubator space, Chun Wai found himself pitching, iterating and innovating alongside peers, some of whom were already running their own businesses.

This spirit of collaboration culminated in Duely, a multidisciplinary capstone project for industry partner Saison Capital, which uses AI-powered tools to cut the time taken for venture capital due diligence from 30 hours to 30 minutes. Duely earned a showcase spot at SWITCH 2024, Asia’s leading tech and innovation festival. His internship at Enterprise Singapore rounded out his NP journey, giving him a first-hand view of how innovation policy shapes Singapore’s startup ecosystem.

Throughout his internship, Chun Wai never stopped training. When an unexpected call came to represent Singapore at the Asian and World Fencing Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, he was ready. For him, balancing athletics and academics remains his proudest achievement at NP. “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity,” he reflects. “I was prepared.”

Chun Wai will read Accountancy and Business at Nanyang Technological University on the bond-free Nanyang Global Leaders Scholarship – with the 2029 SEA Games firmly in his sights.

Top Grads

Reporting Details

Graduation Attire

Invite Guests

Graduation Day

Collection of Certificates

Top Grads & Award Winners

Top Grads

Ngee Ann Kongsi Gold Medal and Lien Ying Chow Gold Medal

Lee Kuan Yew Award and Ngee Ann Polytechnic Outstanding Achievement Award

Lee Kuan Yew Award and Ngee Ann Polytechnic Outstanding Achievement Award

Lee Kuan Yew Award and Ngee Ann Polytechnic Outstanding Achievement Award

Lee Kuan Yew Award and Ngee Ann Polytechnic Outstanding Achievement Award

Tay Eng Soon Gold Medal

Ngee Ann Polytechnic Outstanding Achievement Award

Ngee Ann Polytechnic Outstanding Achievement Award

Ngee Ann Polytechnic Outstanding Achievement Award

Ngee Ann Polytechnic Outstanding Achievement Award

Ngee Ann Polytechnic Outstanding Achievement Award