PSC scholars raring to serve people, protect environment
Sujay Thakur (right) says he is going to pursue a degree in chemical engineering at the University of Cambridge, while Quek Xiao Tong hopes to pursue environmental studies at the National University of Singapore. Photo: Koh Mui Fong
SINGAPORE — At the tender age of 12, Sujay Thakur was already poring over his father’s published research papers lying around the house even though he “never really understood anything because they were PhD-level material”.
Still, he was drawn to how the papers presented creative and new ways to tackle fundamental problems, and this fascination with sciences, problem-solving and complex concepts carried on through his teenage years.
Yesterday, Sujay, now 19, became one of 73 recipients who received scholarships from the Public Service Commission (PSC) at an awards ceremony, and he is going to pursue a degree in chemical engineering at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
Speaking to TODAY, Sujay recalled how he would hang out for hours at the science books’ section of the National Library branch in Woodlands, a place where he spent “half my life”. He would also sit around his school canteen at Raffles Institution, bouncing off ideas with friends about how to improve future industries, such as mapping out traffic conditions in computer simulations as an alternative to on-the-ground surveys, or using data analytics in healthcare.
“How do I say this without sounding like a nerd?” he said sheepishly. “It’s stuff like modelling real-life scenarios with differential equations (that) gets me interested.”
He is already hoping to take his dream of being an engineer in the public service further after graduating from university. “Having an engineering background provides you with technical expertise. You analyse the problem in a logical way and come up with the most optimal solution … (This) would allow me to have more technical insights into an issue and come up with effective policies,” he said.
However, describing himself as someone who “used his head too much”, he is learning that a logical approach alone does not always work for all things.
A brush with an old couple during a home-cleaning project last year cemented his decision to serve in public service. Despite numerous attempts to convince them to clear their hoarded items, which posed safety and fire hazards, his help was rejected.
He then realised that he had failed to take into account the items’ emotional worth to the couple. “You can’t simply use your logic and rational arguments, and get a policy across … You have to empathise with them,” he said, adding that “a top-down approach” would not work in such cases.
Another PSC scholarship recipient was Quek Xiao Tong, 19, who hopes to pursue environmental studies at the National University of Singapore.
An only child who spent her teenage years being involved in various nature clubs, Xiao Tong said her family would go on short treks at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Bukit Batok Nature Park on weekends, and she enjoys learning “out on the field”.
She credits her love for nature to her mentor, an experiential learning specialist at Nanyang Girls’ High School. To get materials to build a student-run experiential learning cafe, the teacher single-handedly sourced for chopped wood and enlisted the help of students to build the cafe together.
“People always talk about (being green), but she really made it happen. It’s something I found very inspiring,” she said, adding that Singaporeans are still “not as well-versed” in addressing environmental problems.
Xiao Tong does her part by minimising the use of disposable utensils, for example, and convincing others to do likewise, though it can be “frustrating and discouraging” when people are indifferent to her pleas. She said: “I just do what I can ... there (will always be) people who don’t want to do it ... Don’t give up trying, because if you try hard enough, one day you will be able to make that difference.”
