RP valedictorian’s journey to academic success

SINGAPORE – For Ms Sheila Khoo Xue Le, joining Republic Polytechnic (RP) in 2023 marked the end of a decade-long chapter of loneliness and isolation.

The now 31-year-old faced a series of bullying incidents during her secondary school years caused her to lose interest in school. It ultimately led her to drop out of secondary school twice and withdraw from polytechnic once.

She was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a type of autism characterised by difficulties with social interaction, soon after leaving polytechnic in 2012.

Ms Khoo spent the next decade largely keeping to herself, immersing herself in video games and Japanese dramas, before deciding to give polytechnic another chance.

This May, Ms Khoo graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade point average and was the valedictorian of RP’s School of Infocomm. She was one of 4,799 graduates across 78 programmes, who received their diplomas during RP’s graduation ceremony, from May 4 to 8.

“There’s 180 degrees of difference between me now and me before I joined RP,” said the Information Technology graduate. “I’m more confident speaking to people and it’s the first time I’ve met people I would consider true friends.”

She recalled struggling to socialise with her peers in her youth. “Because of my Asperger’s, I’m very awkward (when) talking to people. I can’t make eye contact, stutter a lot and find it hard to find the right words to say,” said Ms Khoo.

“I think because of that, people tend to think I’m weird, and bullies thought that I was an easy target.”

Ms Khoo dropped out from both secondary schools she attended and sat for O levels as a private candidate in 2010.

While she did well enough at her O levels to study Game and Entertainment Technology in another local polytechnic, Ms Khoo had become “sick of school” by that time and dropped out in the second year of her course.

For the next 10 years, Ms Khoo continued to find in-person interaction challenging. She said: “Even when I went out to buy food, I would find it hard to interact with the hawkers.”

While she was isolated, Ms Khoo’s interest in Japanese drama prompted her to pursue an accredited Japanese language qualification. In 2019, Ms Khoo began to work as an online freelance Japanese translator – a decision that would give her the confidence to give education another chance.

She said: “Right before I decided to enrol in polytechnic again, I was working on some projects that were commended by my clients.

“It made me feel valued – I thought that maybe I would be able to find the same sense of purpose if I helped my coursemates with their work.”

In 2023, Ms Khoo applied for a second enrolment in polytechnic via the direct admissions exercise (DAE)

Interested in developing her own video game, Ms Khoo applied to tech- and game development- related courses.

As part of the DAE process, Ms Khoo attended interviews with two polytechnics. She recalled that her first interview, an in-person interview for a game development course at another polytechnic, “went horribly.”

“I kept looking at the floor and found it difficult to find my voice,” Ms Khoo said. “My interview with RP was online so it was much more comfortable for me.”

RP eventually offered Ms Khoo a spot in their Information Technology diploma, which was one the courses she applied for.

Ms Wong Wai Ling, director of RP’s School of Infocomm, said: “At RP, we believe strongly in giving students the opportunities to learn, grow, and chart a new path forward through education. We recognise that a student’s past circumstances may not always be reflective of their true potential, and that with the right support and environment, every student can achieve more than they imagined possible.”

After spending a decade away from education, Ms Khoo found herself struggling to adapt to certain aspects of student life.

“When I first joined, I couldn’t even do simple mathematics. I had to practise (by doing) a lot of exam papers, quizzes and worksheets for me to score well,” she said.

Besides practice and using flashcards, Ms Khoo credits her academic success to helping her coursemates with work – a process that has also allowed her to find her people at RP.

“Teaching others helps me revise and maintain practical experience with different modules,” said Ms Khoo. “I’ve also been able to expand my social circle and learn how to interact with different types of people (through it).”

Ms Khoo also said her time at RP has helped her improve her communication skills. She said: “Doing things like presentations and group projects has made me more comfortable talking to people. I can even wave to people now.”

After polytechnic, Ms Khoo will study Computer Science at Nanyang Technological University on a full-ride scholarship.

She hopes to work in IT infrastructure after university, all while setting aside money to develop a video game as a personal project.

After her time at RP, however, she also has an additional goal for herself – to one day return as a lecturer and teach at RP.

She said: “Coaching my friends in different subjects and modules made me realise I enjoy teaching and helping others. I want to be able to carry forward the passion and care my lecturers passed on to me to future batches of students.”