SINGAPORE \u2013 Growing up in a troubled family, Ms Shirlene Ng was 13 when she witnessed her mother take her own life. Her mental health took a hit. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had my own suicidal attempts, and when I turned 14, I was admitted into IMH,\u201d said Ms Ng, referring to the Institute of Mental Health. <\/p>\n
Ms Ng, who is now 21, switched between foster families and children\u2019s homes eight times over the years.<\/p>\n
She had her share of dark days. But on days when she could hold herself together, she told herself to \u201cgrit your teeth and woman up\u201d, and that eventually got her through private school and Temasek Polytechnic, where she studied psychology.<\/p>\n
Ms Ng is among 12 recipients of the inaugural President\u2019s Challenge Fellowship, which was formed to provide opportunities for three groups of people: those who are bouncing back from major adversities like her, professionals in the social sector, and outstanding graduates from the Institute of Technical Education. <\/p>\n
Besides Ms Ng, recipients of the Springboard Fellowship are F&B employee Nur Shahirah Omar, 39, who hopes to get a psychology degree; medical technologist Selva Raju Arumugam, 33, who was orphaned in his teens; and ex-offender Barry Yeow, 58, who is now director of art studio 5seventeen.<\/p>\n
Five of the fellows are outstanding ITE graduates who will now serve as mentors to current students, while running new programmes for them. <\/p>\n
The 12 individuals were revealed during the televised President\u2019s Challenge Night fund-raiser on Nov 2. The President\u2019s Challenge, established in 2000 to raise money for and support various social causes, raised\u00a0nearly $15 million which will support 60 programmes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fellowships, which cover the three tracks, were launched in May.<\/p>\n
Ms Ng\u2019s aftercare manager of the alumni group from HCSA Dayspring \u2013 a residential home she stayed the longest at \u2013 urged her to apply for the Springboard Fellowship. <\/p>\n
In this category, recipients will be given support to embark on new pathways, such as through education or entrepreneurship training. <\/p>\n
The fellowship will enable Ms Ng to pursue a psychology degree and pair her with a mentor to guide her. Through her childhood ordeal, and having done an internship at the Singapore Girls\u2019 Home, Ms Ng wants to help individuals with challenging pasts and trauma. <\/p>\n
\u201cI (want to) have the necessary qualifications to give back to the community that helped to raise me. It\u2019s so important to have safe adults around you when you\u2019re growing up,\u201d said Ms Ng, who is currently applying for university courses. <\/p>\n
Speaking to the media before the fund-raiser show on Nov 2, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said of the 12 fellows: \u201cSome of them had very difficult growing-up years… (but) they are committed to developing themselves, and to serving others, in particular, helping others who might be in the same situation that they went through.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThey were each chosen because they are role models, they are catalysts for the social good,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Highlighting Ms Ng\u2019s story in a Facebook post on Nov 2, President Tharman said: \u201cNo child should ever face darkness alone. No child should suffer the tragedy of Megan Khung, and others before her like Zabelle Peh, Izz Fayyaz Zayani and Umaisyah, who lost their lives in the hands of abusive adults.\u201d<\/p>\n
Megan Khung was <\/p>\n abused by her mother and the woman\u2019s then boyfriend<\/p>\n <\/a>, and the four-year-old eventually died after the man\u2019s fatal punch to her stomach in early 2020. Her body was burned in a metal barrel at an industrial park. <\/p>\n