By M.B. Dharshni (25S03O) and Teo Hui Sian (25S06C)

We need not shy away from superlatives – the President’s Scholarship is undoubtedly Singapore’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarship, awarded by the Public Service Commission to a select few students every year. Excellence, the simple but often elusive quality of being extremely, extremely good at something, forms the foundation of the President’s Scholarship’s exacting criteria. Recently, we had the opportunity to catch up with one of 2024’s President’s Scholarship recipients – Emily Tan. 

During her time in RI, Emily was part of the Humanities Programme and the Vice-Captain of the Volleyball Team. After graduating, she chose to study Economics at Stanford University. Giving us an hour of her time in the late hours of the night in California (with a time difference of 16 hours with Singapore!), Emily shared with us aphoristic reflections, life lessons and thoughtful advice with both candor and humility. 

As you read on, you’ll find that these reflections and lessons were shaped not by her academic accolades, but by a desire to give back to the community and an appreciation of the people around her.