|
Felix Lee
Co-founder and CEO at APDList
Diploma in Engineering with Business (2018)
|
|
Coming from a very humble background—without the advantages of a prestigious university degree or the backing from wealthy parents, Felix Lee, never imagined he would make it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List, under the Consumer Technology category.
From the 'N' Level stream, Felix chose to enter SP through the Poly Foundation Programme (PFP) and decided on the Diploma in Engineering with Business as he wanted to get the best of both worlds - Engineering & Business.
Now, Felix is the co-founder and CEO of APDList. Started in 2021, APDList is the world's largest mentorship platform for people in the tech industry. He launched it during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 to help people who had lost
their jobs. The startup has since grown into a global community with over 14,000 mentors from 140 countries and hosting 15 million minutes of mentoring sessions on subjects such as product design, data science and software
development. ADPList also achieved an amazing feat and raised $1.3 million from Sequoia Capital India in 2021.
|
|
Michelle Tay
Director, Singapore Kindness Movement
Diploma in Business Administration (2006)
|
|
"The fundamental knowledge and practical skills such as accountancy, marketing, law, and IT that I acquired at SP have been instrumental in my current role."
Michelle pursued a Diploma in Business Administration in SP and was exposed to the dynamic world of business. As part of the first batch of entrepreneurship students in 2005, they executed their own businesses in their final year,
applying theories and best practices for their business plans to real-world implementation, earning an income for themselves.
Upon graduation, her SP lecturer referred her to a job at Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) and she has been there for the last 17 years and worked her way up to become the Director at SKM. She currently oversees the team's programmes
and operations, and the fundamental knowledge and practical skills that she has learnt in SP has helped her in the business of kindness where her work involves societal behavioural change in promoting pro social norms instead of
immediate sales targets.
Fun fact: her Meiji pushcart business that she started 18 years ago in SP is still ongoing and evolving!
|
|
Alex Chua
Founder and Managing Director, Polygems Dental Care
Diploma in Biomedical Science (2016)
|
|
“Becoming a dentist is a way of remembering my father,” Dr. Alex Chua told Straits Times 6 years ago when he became the first ever poly graduate to clinch a place in NUS Dentistry. His truck driver father
died when he was just 12, and Dr. Chua still fondly remembers his toothless grin. Since his enrolment in NUS, he has graduated and is now the first polytechnic graduate in Singapore to become a dentist.
The top performer
of Swiss Cottage Secondary School at both ‘N’ Levels and ‘O’ Levels examinations picked SP’s Diploma in Biomedical Science (DBS) as his first and only choice during his Joint Admission Exercise (JAE).
Back then, he picked the polytechnic route for practical reasons – he needed a flexible timetable that allowed him to work part time. He had to juggle several jobs to put himself through school and support his family.
He also needed a course that can let him excel and fulfil his dreams to become a dentist. SP’s DBS allowed him to gain fundamental research skills for his medical studies later on in life.
Dr. Chua not only did
well – he excelled. Besides juggling his studies and part-time jobs – giving tuition, working in fast-food outlets and as a security guard – he even found time to volunteer at orphanages and old folks’ homes,
and also obtained the National Youth Achievement Awards (NYAA) Gold Award. He graduated with a diploma with merit, and was admitted to NUS under the Exceptional Individual Admissions Scheme in 2009.
|