By M.B. Dharshni (25S03O) and Teo Hui Sian (25S06C)
Regarded as Singapore’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarship, the President’s Scholarship is awarded to the most deserving and outstanding candidates of a cohort. Last year, Marianne Wang (Batch of 2023) was one of the students recognised for her excellence.
Marianne served as the 42nd Students’ Council President during her time at RI. She was a part of the Humanities Programme, led volunteering projects and was also involved in the Table Tennis team and Chinese Orchestra. Currently, she is studying at Harvard University, majoring in Economics and Government.
No doubt, Marianne’s exceptional abilities as a leader and as a student, alongside her extensive list of accolades, demonstrate excellence to the highest degree. But even her remarkable achievements cannot outshine what makes us truly look up to her as a role model – her unwavering dedication to service, and the humility that shines through in her recognition of the people who have shaped her along the way.
As President Tharman Shanmugaratnam mentioned in his speech at the 2024 President’s Scholarship Award Ceremony, receiving the President’s Scholarship “reflects [scholars’] potential as a young Singaporean” and the trust in their ability to ”inspire others and work with them, tirelessly, for the betterment of our nation.”
In our interview with Marianne, she shares retrospective insights on the lessons learnt and memories forged as she reflects on her experiences thus far. The strong connections she forms with others and the deep seated values that define her infuse the very heart of her journey with life and purpose, making her accomplishments even more meaningful.
Read our full interview with Marianne below!
- During your time in RI, you took on many commitments and responsibilities – how did you manage your time?
That’s based on the assumption that I did! The reality of JC is that you will always struggle to find time to do all the things you want to do, so you really have to learn to prioritize them and to communicate that to the people around you. There will always be commitments that need more from you at certain times, and you need to communicate that to your teammates, and people who can help you, like your teachers and your friends.
Realistically speaking, no one is on top of all their lectures, but the most important thing for me was to always listen in class, understand what was going on, and have an awareness of where you are at that point.
Generally, everyone should take some time to catch up with school, but studying will never be enough. There’s always something you can revise, some lecture you can watch, but once you understand that you’ll be genuinely fine, there’s a lot of free time that you may sometimes be afraid to spend, but you should also use that time to do something you enjoy!
- During your time in RI, you stepped up as the Student Council President, which meant you had to give up other extracurriculars such as CCA. Between all your commitments, how did you decide what to let go and what to prioritize?
Fun fact: I didn’t initially know I had to leave the table tennis team! It was a very sad thing to deal with, though it was actually a blessing in disguise. I definitely would’ve been stretched too thin if I had stayed on.
There are different times for different things! I had to learn to accept that and let go of other things. For me, Student Council was a unique experience, in that it allowed me to serve in a very, very committed way. And I really enjoyed working together with the other councillors, so it became a treasured memory of mine.
As for the other commitments that I had to drop, I tried to continue being in touch with them whenever I could. For table tennis, I dropped by training sometimes and stayed connected to the community.
There are different seasons for everything, and there will be times where you will take on new responsibilities but have to let go of others – again, that’s just a fact of JC and of life that you have to learn to live with!
As for service, I simply followed my heart. I wasn’t able to spend much time in Y5 volunteering, which really took a toll on my mental health, and made me quite miserable. I wanted to meet people outside of school and in service, that’s how I knew how much to prioritise it and how I could strike a good balance between that and other commitments.
- Looking back on your RI experience, what were the most important life lessons you’ve learnt that have shaped you as a person? Are there any regrets you hold?
Something I learnt from the time I spent with the people around me is that everyone has very different things they want to do, and different goals they want to achieve. There is a lot of beauty in coming together despite having differences in the unique ways we want to approach different things.
Particularly in Student’s Council, when everyone comes together for discussions, there are disagreements on how certain events should go. Understanding constraints on multiple levels and ultimately striving for the students’ enjoyment… Being able to deal with that tension – that is the kind of tension inherent in policy work.
I wouldn’t use the word regret, since I believe that there’s a reason everything turns out a certain way, but if there was something I wish I had known back then – it would be recognizing the importance of unfilled time, to make sense of the things you do and also just unwind. Packing your schedule may not always be the most efficient and meaningful way to spend time – what matters most is making the time you spend truly worthwhile.
- Do you have any role models or people you have learnt a lot from?
This question is always difficult to answer! Most people I’ve seen, students,teachers and non teaching staff have taught me different things in many ways.
I observed a lot of good traits from my classmates and peers. The little bits that make up who I am as a person, I picked up from the many influences around me.
I admired how people around me strived for what they were passionate about. For example, someone’s goal in JC could be about making core memories, or striving to reach out and build friendships with many people. Different people have different things that drive them to work hard, and their authenticity comes across in their goals and demonstrates who they are on a deeper level. Seeing how this willpower manifests in different people was inspiring.
- You’re currently reading Government and Economics at Harvard – How is life in the US and how did you decide what to major in?
It is so cold! I actually find myself missing the blazing heat of Singapore.
But otherwise, life in the US is pretty nice. First years get to explore the liberal arts curriculum with undeclared majors, so I haven’t technically picked one yet and am taking time to also explore other classes that interest me. Currently I’m taking a directing class and directed my first piece a week ago! One of the best things about the US is the complete autonomy over what you do. It’s stressful, but in a good way, and exciting because I can explore things I hadn’t been able to in JC.
I picked Economics as a major because I’ve always known that I liked economics. In upper secondary, I read a book on public and development economics by two MIT professors, which made me certain I wanted to pursue the subject. Later on in JC I hence took H2 Economics and also H3 game theory, which was incredibly exciting to learn.
There are parts of us that make sense and parts of us that don’t, Economics tries to make sense of them both. That’s one of the things that intrigued me the most about this subject.
As for my other major of Government, I’ve always been a politics kid. I did debate and MUN (Model United Nations), so clearly politics and current affairs were always a topic I was interested in, and I was eager to pursue the subject in university too.
- Why did you apply for the Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship despite the 6 year bond?
It’s important to remember that PSC should be thought of as a path and a career that comes with a sense of duty, rather than simply a scholarship with a 6 year bond attached to it.
I decided to take it on because deep down, I knew that the public service was that one thing I could see myself pursuing in the future with the most certainty. It was the best avenue for me to pursue my interests, and work that I truly believed in and felt for. The bond was never a trade off, in fact I would consider it a privilege in many ways.
- What are your current ambitions for the future?
To get a bit more sleep!
On a more serious note, I’m still trying to figure out exactly what I want to do. Within my larger politico economic curiosities, I have interests in various different applications that are all important in contributing to society. Currently I’m giving myself the space to figure out which of those specific fields to deepen my knowledge about. Ultimately, my goal for the future is to be actively leading and contributing through concrete expertise.
In terms of future attachments, MTI, MOT, MFA, are a few ministries aligned with my major that I’m considering, though I’m quite open to anything and would be happy to be a part of any project through which I can contribute to society.
- Do you have any words of advice for your juniors?
Something I came by recently was that “A lesson you never fully got past or never fully internalized will only keep reappearing in your life” . In other words, the questions that really matter are the ones that recur, and can tie all stages of life together. Getting a “B’ in A Levels will never keep coming up later in life, but if you never fully truly discover who you are and your passions, then that is a doubt you will keep encountering again and again.
It’s going to be whether or not you truly face your inner struggles head on in JC, realise what communities you prioritize and what kind of life you want to live. Not discovering these things is what will make you feel dislocated in future. Always know why you are doing what you’re doing – that’s what will get you far in JC, and what will guide you along the most difficult journeys in life.
We would like to thank Marianne for taking the time to participate in this interview, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors as she embarks on a new chapter of her life!
