Class of 2023

Our Victorians sat for the 2023 Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level Examination and we are delighted to share that that they have achieved an excellent set of results.

Kudos to the Class of 2023! We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments and wish you all the best as you embark on your future endeavours.

A big ‘Thank You’ goes out to our teachers, parents and partners for your dedicated support of our students’ efforts. Nil Sine Labore!

Lead

Philicia Geow, CHIJ Katong Convent | #whyVJ The community in VJC is one that spurs you on no matter your background. It has given me friends who care for me even at my lowest point. I have graduated knowing that the memories and friends I made here will last a lifetime.

With nurturing guidance and loving support of family, teachers and friends, Philicia has blossomed into a confident learner and dynamic leader. For her achievements, she was recognised with the Lee Kuan Yew Award for Outstanding Normal Course Students in 2022. In the same year, she was elected by the student body to be the President of the 39^th Students’ Council. Philicia was steadfast in her values and led the Council decisively. When collaborating with other councillors on projects, she was empathetic and facilitative, making sure to consider multiple perspectives and to leverage on the strengths of different team members. 

Keen to keep her finger on the pulse of society, Philicia embraced community involvement opportunities beyond college. In 2022, Philicia was part of the organising committee of Project Bread & Butter, an initiative which helped to raise awareness of food insecurity in Singapore and raise funds for Food Bank Singapore. Despite having to cope with a rigorous A-Level curriculum, which includes Theatre Studies & Drama, and her Council duties, Philicia found time to commit as a volunteer tutor for under-privileged lower secondary school students with =DREAMS Asia in 2023. Philicia embodies the values of a true Victorian, leading and serving with courage and compassion.

Dylan Gan, Victoria School | #whyVJ VJC has been a safe space for me to fully express myself. The warmth of my peers and support of my teachers has been so important to me and I will miss it. This has been definitive in my VJ journey.

Although new to Track & Field, Dylan embraced the sport with great aplomb. Dedicating hours to training, Dylan contributed to his team’s podium placing at the National School Games Track & Field A Division Boys Championships in 2023. For his athletic excellence, he was awarded the Singapore Schools Sports Council Colours Award in the same year.

A multi-talented individual, Dylan was also the Chief Photographer of the VJC Photography Society. He took many well-composed photographs to document college events and designed workshops to impart his knowledge and skills about photography with fellow enthusiasts. In addition, Dylan streamlined and improved the operational systems and processes of the Photography Society, allowing it to function more effectively when collaborating with the college community.

As Captain of the Track & Field Boys’ Team and Chief Photographer of Photography Society, Dylan demonstrated strong leadership qualities. Recognised as a charismatic and effective leader, he was appointed the overall student leader in-charge of the Victoria-Cedar Alliance Initiation Programme. He communicated plans with clarity and zeal and helped to organise Project V, a community service project.

Sherwyn Peck, Bowen Secondary School | #whyVJ VJ provided me with so many opportunities, where I got to perform and develop myself as a leader. It made me a better person and I am grateful for that.

Sherwyn’s passion for dance placed him in the spotlight. A talented and charismatic performer, he shone in every item he participated in during Dance concerts. As the Chairperson of Dance Club, Sherwyn was fiercely dedicated and a great source of motivation to his team. He made sure he was familiar with different styles and techniques of dancing and able to execute the moves flawlessly. He often took the initiative to guide those struggling with the choreography. His leadership of the Club was rewarded when it was awarded the Certificate of Distinction in the 2023 Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation.

When VJC was invited to participate in the 2023 National Day Parade Go-Live segment, Sherwyn stepped up to lead the training sessions and helped teach the dance moves to more than 100 student participants, most of whom were not dancers. He was always ready to guide his peers and paid attention to their welfare throughout the long hours of rehearsals. With the A-Level exams on the horizon, Sherwyn was a role model of resilience and holistic education as he motivated the JC2 participants to balance both their NDP commitments and their academic pursuits skillfully. VJC is proud of Sherwyn and how he has grown as a dancer and leader.

Serve

Faith Lum, Cedar Girls’ Secondary School | #whyvj The fun-loving and supportive community in VJ has allowed me to meet so many amazing people and I'm truly grateful to have them in my life. My friends and teachers have also helped me create happy core memories that will definitely last a lifetime!

A kind and compassionate individual, Faith was always looking for opportunities to serve the community. Driven by genuine tenderness and an innate desire to empower others, she used her artistic talents to create merchandise to raise funds for initiatives like Project Sunny Days, which aimed to help raise awareness for and improve the plight of migrant workers. Faith also dedicated countless hours to help out at Oasis Second Chance Animal Shelter, taking dogs for walks and cleaning their cages. Faith’s passion to serve was also evident in school. She led her class in their Service Leadership Venture project and was an Orientation Group Leader, showing her juniors the ropes and helping them integrate well in VJC. As a testament of her deep and genuine care for her community, Faith was awarded the Singapore Silent Heroes Students Award. 

Faith was also a dedicated member of the Cross Country and Track and Field Teams. Her hard work and discipline saw her achieve excellence in both sports.  In the 2023 National School Games Track and Field A Division Girls Championships, Faith achieved Second Place in the 800m individual event and played an instrumental role in her team’s top spot in the National School Games Cross Country Championships. VJC is extremely heartened by her endeavours and her heart for the community.

Brishen Lin, Victoria School | #whyvj My #whyvj is the people that define our unique culture! They drove me and gave me the space to constantly grow daily, both in academic and non-academic areas as well as to pursue other initiatives as part of well-rounded education 😃 This is how VJ has shaped me - teaching me the value of constant growth and learning to look out for and give back to those who have shaped us 🤟

With courage and a zest for life, Brishen chose to take up the mantle of leadership and served the community. As a key member of the Students’ Council, he planned various initiatives during the 2022 Mental Wellness Week to help raise awareness about various mental health issues affecting youths. His heart for the community was further evident in Project VJChildren, a brainchild of his and his peers, for which they successfully raised more than $35,000 for the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF). Brishen was also part of the Grassroots and Governance Programme for the MacPherson Single Member Constituency, where he helped out with house visits and Meet-The-People sessions.

To deepen his understanding of how the society works, Brishen served as Head Chair at the 2023 Singapore Model Cabinet, a simulation of the Singaporean parliamentary system’s workings, organised jointly by iGlobe and the People’s Association. For his intellectual rigour and strong work ethic, Brishen was awarded the VJC Scholarship in Appreciation of Mrs Lee Phui Mun and the MOE Regional Studies Programme (RSP) Scholarship. 

Brishen embodies the values of a Victorian and we are truly proud of his accomplishments. We know that he will continue to lead and serve with courage and compassion.

Hemanth Sivakumar, Victoria School | #whyvj VJC provided me with opportunities to be a better individual, student and leader. The opportunities given to me in Interact and Football have greatly developed my willingness to serve, while the school culture always helped to keep my spirits high and taught me the importance of camaraderie during the tough times.

Hemanth is a charismatic and caring young man who made a concerted effort to be actively involved in community service initiatives during his time in VJC. As a member of the College Interact Club, he dedicated his time to tutoring children every Saturday. Furthermore, Hemanth actively participated in the Meals on Wheels volunteer program coordinated by TOUCH, delivering packed meals to elderly residents within Toa Payoh.

Hemanth also served as a stalwart member of the Football team. He thrived on high-intensity situations, encouraging his peers to strive alongside him. His resilience and willingness to work toward the team’s common goal was invaluable, and paid off handsomely in back-to-back championship victories at the National School Games. In recognition of his service to the team, the Singapore Schools Sports Council presented Hemanth with the Colours Award in both 2022 and 2023. With his infectious smile and sincerity, Hemanth was well-liked by his peers and teachers alike. His endeavours and supportive nature have enriched the community in VJC and we are extremely proud of his achievements!

Excel

Faith Ford, CHIJ St. Joseph’s Convent | #whyvj The teachers truly look out for us, asking how I’m coping, checking in on me, or even asking if I’ve eaten. During NSG, when we miss classes for competitions, they were very understanding and happily book consults for us to keep us on track. I really appreciate their patience with me because I always have a million questions🤣. That my teachers had my back really played a big part in ensuring I could juggle sports and academics. I wouldn’t have gotten through JC without their support :))

Faith’s story is one of how her passion and determination to excel in her CCAs - Cross Country and Track and Field - led her down the path of sporting history. She started running competitively only in Secondary 4 but blossomed during her time with the VJC Cross Country and Track and Field teams. As the Captain of the Cross Country team, she displayed great dedication to her role and was a strong motivating force for her team during training. While she was the fastest individual at the 2022 NSG Cross Country Championships, the team collectively clinched third position. Undeterred, she and her peers trained even harder, putting on a stellar performance at the 2023 edition of the Championships and reclaimed the team title that VJC last won in 2016.

An outstanding athlete, Faith shattered not only several NSG Cross Country Championship records but also national school records for Track and Field. Her exceptional performance led her to be selected to represent Singapore in the 2023 Under-20 Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea. For her athletic excellence and tenacious spirit, Faith was awarded the VJC Sports Excellence Award in 2022, and the Singapore Sports Council Colours Award (Distinction) for being the Best Sports Girl for Cross Country. VJC is immensely proud of Faith’s growth and achievements in her time with us!

Tan Zhong Sing, Victoria School | #whyvj The people in VJ inspire and bring out the best in me. This has motivated me to become a person dedicated to discovering the best in others.

Zhong Sing is an extraordinary student who consistently topped the cohort while juggling the demands of taking two H3 subjects and playing active roles in two different CCAs. Having an insatiable thirst for knowledge, Zhong Sing seized opportunities that would expose him to more experiences, such as taking H3 History and H3 Game Theory. As a testament of his strong ability to capably handle a rigorous curriculum, he was a recipient of the Language Elective Scholarship (Spanish) and the VJC Scholarship in Appreciation of Mrs Lee Phui Mun.

Zhong Sing’s excellence extended beyond the classroom. As a Student Councillor, he displayed strong leadership skills in leading a team to plan for Open House 2023. An empathetic and considerate leader, he encouraged and rallied the team to make the event successful. In his work to liaise with various stakeholders for other college-wide events, he demonstrated adroit negotiation skills in being able to reconcile differences between different parties. Zhong Sing also applied the same spirit of excellence to his involvement in the College’s Badminton Team. Always putting in his best effort, his tremendous drive and energy helped the team attain 4^th place at the 2023 National School Games Badminton A Division Boys Championships.

Zhong Sing is an intellectually gifted yet balanced individual with strong interpersonal skills. VJC is proud of his achievements and certain we will see more of him in the future.

Denzel Chua, Victoria School | #whyvj With VJs’ work hard play hard culture, everyone pushes each other to become better in all aspects of JC Iife. This spurred me to strive for excellence, leaving me with a fruitful and fulfilling experience that I can look back on with pride. The camaraderie and the priceless friendships forged here helped see me through tough times and made my experience here even more memorable.

(Photo from Singapore National Olympic Council, Facebook)

A highly motivated and exceptionally talented sportsman, Denzel excelled in not just one, but two different sports. A dexterous rock wall climber, he won the Men’s intermediate individual event at NUS Boulderactive, and went on to represent Singapore at the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou. He demonstrated admirable grit and resilience, juggling rock-climbing training with football training sessions. Denzel was part of the team which brought glory to the college by winning the A Division Boys’ Football Championship in 2022. In recognition of his outstanding athletic prowess, Denzel was awarded the VJC Sports Excellence Award and the Singapore Schools Sports Council Colours Award during his time in the College.

Denzel’s drive for excellence extended to his studies, where he applied himself with great diligence and intellect. This strong work ethic saw him consistently achieve good academic results. Denzel also unselfishly mentored his classmates in various subjects and patiently answered their questions. Denzel truly exemplifies what it means to be an all-rounder.

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