Eight Nanyang Polytechnic graduates received Distinguished Awards at the school’s graduation ceremony on May 4.

The awards were presented by Minister of State for Education Gan Siow Huang, who was also the guest of honour at the graduation ceremony. While the ceremony was specific to NYP’s School of Engineering, the awards presentation was extended to the other schools too. 

The graduates were awarded for their outstanding academic achievements on top of their contributions to community service and co-curricular activities (CCA) throughout their time at the polytechnic. 

All eight award recipients studied different fields in NYP, namely applied science, business management, design and media, engineering, health and social sciences, and information technology.

This year, Jolin Toh was the only graduate to receive two Distinguished Awards – the Ngee Ann Kongsi Award for All-Round Achievement and the Tay Eng Soon Award for Health and Social Sciences. 

The 20-year-old graduated with a Diploma in Nursing and was the top student in her course. She was also the president of the Chinese Orchestra CCA and an active community service volunteer.

Jolin’s passion for nursing kept her going throughout her course of study. She also acknowledged her support system for getting her through tough times.

“My family and peers around me were very supportive of what I do. They were able to help me through difficult times, especially when things got a little bit too overwhelming,” she said. 

Mohammed Aizam, another award recipient, received the Tay Eng Soon ITE Upgrader award. The 23-year-old graduated with a Diploma in Business Management. 

He was also very active in community service and entrepreneurship activities, and often sought ways to combine the two. To Aizam, the award is an affirmation of his efforts to give back to the community. 

“I think the Tay Eng Soon award shows how you can be a role model to other ITE students as well. So I hope I’ve set that example enough to be awarded,” he said.

In her speech at the ceremony, Ms Gan congratulated the graduates and acknowledged the award recipients. She also urged all graduates to embrace lifelong learning and give back to the community. 

“Your journey may not always be smooth-sailing, but what’s important is to remain resilient and adaptable. Remember, it’s not the crisis that defines us, but how we respond to the crisis,” Ms Gan said.