Few school names in Singapore carry quite the same cultural shorthand as Anglo-Chinese School (ACS). Its alumni network is broad and influential, and the school has long been associated with confidence, ambition and a strong sense of fraternity.
Christopher Chua, 46, remembers encountering that world from the margins. Coming from a less well-off family, he often felt he had to prove himself in an environment where others seemed more assured.
“I was born in a not well-to-do family, and I was thrust into ACS,” said Chua, founder of boutique hospitality design studio KulorGroup. “It was a constant need to prove myself, because everybody else seemed to be two or three steps ahead.”
In an environment where many students seemed to carry an easy confidence, Chua felt the opposite. “At the start, I was… keeping to myself and always feeling lesser.”
