Five Singapore youths receive Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarships this year

Source: Microsoft. Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship 2015 recipients with (from left) Jessica Tan, Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore; Chia Yong Yong, lawyer and disability advocate; Then An Zhi, Er Xue Hui, Mohamed Najulah, Daryl Loh, and Ang Chin Hao.  

Five scholarships were awarded this morning to outstanding young Singaporeans with disabilities at the Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship Awards Ceremony 2015, one more scholarship than has been disbursed annually in previous years. 

Given to students who demonstrate excellent academic credentials, strong leadership potential and a passion for higher learning, this year’s scholarship recipients impressed the judging panel with their inspiring display of strength, courage and resilience in overcoming a variety of physical and sensory challenges.

Among this year’s batch of scholarship recipients is second-time beneficiary, 21-year-old Ang Chin Hao, who was born with macular dystrophy. Macular dystrophy, a rare genetic disorder that causes vision loss, meant that Ang had difficulties reading from the projector screen in class and initially struggled to keep up with his studies. However, with the support of his teachers, Ang worked doubly hard and was awarded the Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship in 2013 to pursue a Diploma in Engineering Informatics at Nanyang Polytechnic. Ang graduated from Nanyang Polytechnic with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.7 and was among the top 15% of his cohort.

Today, Ang is a second-time recipient of the Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship, and is currently pursuing a Degree in Engineering (Computer Engineering) at the Nanyang Technological University. Launched in 2009 and administered by SPD, an organisation that supports people with disabilities, the Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship was incorporated to help promising local youths with disabilities to pursue higher learning in information technology (IT) related fields, and enable them to achieve their full potential. The annual quantum for the scholarship is S$12,000 for degree courses and S$5,000 for diploma courses.

The scholarship is also part of the global Microsoft YouthSpark initiative, which aims to create opportunities for 300 million youths around the world and bridge the emerging opportunity requirements divide between youths who have the access, skills and opportunities to be successful, and those who do not. Through partnerships with governments, non-profit organisations and businesses, programmes under Microsoft YouthSpark empower youths to imagine and realise their full potential by connecting them with greater education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Tan, left, delivering opening remarks.

“We are happy to be able to renew our commitment to the community for people with disabilities through the Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship again this year. Since we started the scholarship programme in 2009, we have awarded a total of 28 scholarships and committed over S$300,000 in financial support to help students with disabilities pursue tertiary education in IT-related fields. This year, we are heartened to see that these youths did not allow their disabilities to be barriers to what they want to achieve in life,” said Jessica Tan, Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore.

“We wish them the very best and hope that the Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship will continue to inspire young Singaporeans to keep dreaming and striving for the best they can be.”

“I am very happy to be receiving the Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship for the second time. The first scholarship that I received two years ago spurred me on to achieve good grades in Nanyang Polytechnic. With this second scholarship, I hope I can achieve even more in university and realise my dream of becoming an IT businessman. I also hope that this will encourage other students with disabilities to not give up, and keep pushing themselves to live life to the fullest, as our disabilities do not disqualify us from achieving success,” said Ang.

Mohamed Najulah, 19, is another scholarship recipient. He was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic brittle bones disorder. He relies on a wheelchair to move around. Najulah originally planned to pursue a Diploma in Computer Engineering, but was advised to apply for another course as the mobility required as an engineer might be too physically demanding for him. Unfazed, Najulah went on to pursue a Diploma in Business Information Technology at Singapore Polytechnic, and was subsequently awarded the Director’s Honour Roll for his stellar academic performance. Najulah is now in his second-year of the Diploma course and was part of the winning team that took the People’s Choice Award at the Transport and You(th) Hackathon organised by the Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA) in April this year.

The other youths who received the scholarship are Er Xue Hui, a 20-year-old first-year student in Computing and Computer Science at the National University of Singapore (hearing impairment); Then An Zhi, a 22-year-old first-year student in Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (hearing impairment); and Daryl Loh, an 18-year-old first-year Infocomm Security Management student at Singapore Polytechnic (Asperger's Syndrome).

Tan said that Microsoft believes 'Diversity + Inclusion = Success'. "We believe that people from the various disability-related communities provide us with valuable perspectives on how we develop products and services, how we market
them, and how we deal with issues of customer satisfaction. In other words, we
benefit greatly in terms of innovation by having these viewpoints present among our employee work force.

"Microsoft’s Accessibility and Disability Group works closely with product developers, accessibility-aid vendors and disability advocates to ensure that the
accessibility features included in Microsoft products enable all workers to benefit from the use of information technology on the job. Microsoft’s Office, the Windows operating system, including web browsing features, contain features designed specifically for people with a variety of disabilities," she said.

Tan added that Microsoft has focused on addressing the needs of seniors and people with disabilities in Singapore. "We do this through long-term collaboration with local NPOs such as SPD, who share a common vision of integrating people with disabilities into our society and empowering them to explore the opportunities that will allow them to be the best that they can be.

"It is through this joint vision that we first set up the Infocomm Accessibility Centre to provide IT training for people with disabilities to enhance their employability. Since 2009, the Centre – together with partners and supporters – has providing training to more than 2,200 individuals. Many have also gone on to secure gainful employment."

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post on job placements for people with disabilities

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