When Glenn Ng was just a primary three kid, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and found it difficult to juggle both English and Chinese languages. Subsequently, he was moved from the EM2 academic stream to EM3 and eventually went on to the Normal Technical stream at Greendale Secondary School. With his learning disability, he thought that he would never keep up with his peers.
In the midst of his struggle with languages, Glenn discovered his passion for Information Technology (IT). He received multiple awards during his secondary school days for doing well in computer application and science subjects. He chose to pursue a Nitec in Info-Communications Technology at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and worked doubly hard to maintain a perfect GPA score to secure admission to Singapore Polytechnic (SP)’s Diploma in Information Technology course, his first choice.
In SP, Glenn honed his IT skills further by taking part in various competitions such as the national-level Microsoft Publish IT Hackathon, where he was selected as one of the top three finalists.
For his outstanding academic achievements, the SP Model Student Award recipient was selected for the Singapore Management University’s (SMU) Advanced Placement Programme where he had the opportunity to take two modules alongside undergraduate students. This experience allowed him to gain a deeper appreciation for IT and sealed his determination to pursue a career in this field. He also helped his SMU mates to organise the APEX Business-IT Global Case Challenge, a student-run case competition that highlights the intertwined nature of business and IT.
Glenn’s passion for IT also led him to share his knowledge and skills with his peers. As a Student Partner appointed by Microsoft Singapore, he planned and executed various campus activities to help develop the IT capabilities of other students. He also inspired his peers to immerse themselves in extra-curricular activities such as industry networking sessions and hackathons through his student leader role in the S.E.E.D (Sharing, Exploration, Enrichment, Development) Student Interest Group.
He explored his passion for IT further during his internship with SingTel, where he had the unique opportunity to immerse himself in the latest technologies and gain an insightful exposure to the telecommunications industry.
Glenn plans to pursue a degree in Information Systems at the Singapore Management University after national service. His aspiration is to create solutions to benefit businesses and the community in future. In fact, Glen has already seen his dream come to fruition - together with a course mate, he has already started a company to develop customized IT solutions for organisations.
Anything is possible if you believe in yourself and just do it. Glenn is a living example that dyslexia is no obstacle to thinking big and achieving success.