I am honoured and humbled to be able to write this testimonial for the Orange Dolphin Mentoring Programme, where I was fortunate to be part of as both a mentee and a mentor.
My time as a mentee in the programme when I was in Secondary Five not only helped me academically but provided me the opportunity to grow holistically as a person. The values like “Accepting Responsibility” and “Embracing Changes” that are imparted to us as mentees have undoubtedly played a part in helping me in my pursuit for academic excellence. In addition, I believed these values have benefited me far beyond just the books, where I believed have helped mould me to be a better-rounded person.
Upon graduating from Bendemeer Secondary School, I was looking for a platform to contribute back to the community. Therefore, Mr Jerry Seah’s Mentoring Programme gave me the perfect platform to do just that, being a mentor in the programme I was part of. The imparting of the values I mentioned earlier to my mentees makes them that much more meaningful to me, where the more I give to my mentees the more I grew as well. I have to definitely extend my gratitude to the Orange Dolphin Mentoring Programme and Mr Jerry Seah for helping me to find joy in volunteering as well as mentoring.
The values that I got out from the Mentoring Programme have definitely played a part in helping me achieve the academic excellence I enjoy today. Upon graduating from Bendemeer Secondary School as the First in Standard, I moved on to study Diploma in Banking and Finance in Singapore Polytechnic where I graduated with a Singapore Exchange Gold Medal as well as a Model Student Award. The programme also ignited my interest in volunteering, motivating me to take a step further to be an Aspirant of the Youth Corps Singapore.
All in all, the Orange Dolphin Mentoring Programme focus on holistic development rather than just academic achievements creates an excellent platform for students to grow and find confidence as well as pride in their work. This will ultimately aid in their academic grades but at the same time they will have grown as a person which creates a strong foundation for learning and not just excelling from the books.