Ben Tan – Class of 2024

Ben Tan (23-E1) has demonstrated great resilience on his academic and personal journey, transferring from another institution to the college in his JC2 year. Not only did he quickly adapt to his new surroundings and curriculum, he discovered strengths old and new and stepped up to both support and inspire his peers.

“My appearance in Eunoia must have come as somewhat of a surprise to my class, 24-E1, joining as a new Eunoian at the start of JC2. Having struggled with my mental health in my previous school, I was grateful that EJ, the Deans and Mr Tan took me in. I was at that moment in time still lost in the wilderness and looking for hope.

Any reservations I had about this major change in my life was dispelled on the first day. I remember the gregariousness of the class as they introduced me to the school, its mythology of generations past, deep class lore (or what happened in their JC1 year) and the foosball table culture during breaks. Later on in the year, I was enthralled in the process of performing a play in EJC Drama, my CCA, and bonding with like-minded people. The love I received from my class and CCA, whether in the fun times, the little absurdities and the most mundane of moments, is something I will always be grateful for.

I have always been a guarded, introverted person, hesitant to ‘put myself out there’. The environment in EJ allowed me to open up a lot more and be more active in engaging and interacting with people. For the first time in a long while, I felt I was welcome. My time here has taught me to love learning more than ever, and appreciate those around me. I say this with no intent to be cliché but EJ truly was a second home. 

I would like to thank my teachers, especially my civics tutor Mrs Wee-Chen Jinqi, for accommodating my sudden arrival in Eunoia and always looking out for me. I would also like to thank Mr Crispin Rodrigues for his encouragement and inspiring me both as an educator and poet with his writing sessions. It was a great honour to be invited by him to read my poetry at his book launch. It was my first formal foray into the arts scene, and a great learning experience. 

I am looking to study psychology, with a minor in linguistics. At the same time, I am torn between an academic career and an artistic journey. This year, I hope to complete my sixth novel, tangentially related to the previous ones, with the new knowledge and experience I’ve gained from my former experiments. I will continue to write poetry and plays as well, simply because I can’t help it.”