Taking the path less travelled I Goh Ai Qin Yvonne

Goh Ai Qin Yvonne I Data Scientist

Taking the path less travelled

When Yvonne Goh Ai Qin was young, she knew she was not as fortunate as her peers. Her parents had little education, and the family was not well-to-do.

Yvonne’s father was a dishwasher who had only primary school education, and her mother was a cleaner who dropped out of school at Primary Three. Yvonne’s poor results in primary school worried her mother as they could neither help Yvonne with her studies nor afford to engage a tutor for her.

In secondary school, Yvonne was assigned to the Normal (Technical) stream, which meant that her post-secondary education option was limited to the Institute of Technical Education. Without motivation to push harder, Yvonne continued to slack off on her studies during that time.

However, Yvonne’s life took a turn when she started attending Mr Lee Seck Kuang’s maths lessons in CDAC’s tuition class. Mr Lee showed care and concern for Yvonne and had frequent heart-to-heart talks with her, often reminding her of the need to plan for the future. Under Mr Lee’s encouragement and guidance, Yvonne finally recognised that she held the key to her future and was inspired to break the mould and strive for a university degree despite limitations.

Driven by her newfound goals, Yvonne drafted a unique roadmap to plot out her education plans.

After secondary school, Yvonne attended ITE College Central (Macpherson Campus) where Mr Lee was a teacher. Seeing Yvonne’s efforts in improving her studies, Mr Lee provided opportunities for the student to shine. As a result of her persistent hard work, Yvonne received multiple awards, such as the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship to Encourage Upgrading (LKY-STEP) Award and Goh Chok Tong NextGen Outstanding Student Leader Award.

Yvonne’s academic results also allowed her to enrol in Singapore Polytechnic, where she continued to prove her worth and progressed to study at Nanyang Technological University.

In university, Yvonne had to work harder than her peers as her academic foundation was weaker. While studying, she also had to work as a tuition teacher to cover her school fees and living expenses. As hard as it was to juggle studies and part-time work, Yvonne excelled on her path toward success with great determination and resilience.

Now, at 29 years old, Yvonne is an accomplished data scientist in a French company. Filled with ambition for her career and future, hers is an exemplary rags-to-riches story that serves to inspire others like her.

胡艺胜 I 临床科学家

走在梦想路上

10岁就立志要当科学家和医生，一心想研发医疗方案，济世救人，胡艺胜的梦想如今可谓完成 一半。他当上了医生，也是一名免疫学博士，而这条筑梦之路的第一块砖，是华助会一位良师帮 他铺下的。

胡艺胜（37岁）的梦想在小四那年萌芽。他从课本中阅读到诺贝尔奖发起人、瑞典发明家阿尔弗 雷德·诺贝尔的生平事迹后，深受启发。他从小对科学感兴趣，而由于家人面对一些健康状况， 也激励他从医。他自幼的梦想就是能凭医学成就，获颁诺贝尔奖。

对出生贫寒的胡艺胜来说，这个梦想当年何其遥远。胡艺胜的父亲在他五岁那年病逝，母亲当 学校食堂小贩，含辛茹苦养育他和妹妹。虽然母亲学历不高，但对子女的教育极为重视。

在讲华语家庭中成长，胡艺胜小时候英文基础较弱。中三那年，他的英文成绩总是考C5或C6， 母亲于是为他报读华助会补习班。在补习班遇到英文教师萨耶·尤索夫博士后，他才真正开窍， 在O水准会考中，英文考获A2，也在2002年获颁华助会的学业优异奖。

这段经历赋予胡艺胜追求更远大理想的动力和勇气。尽管后来升读大学时，没有考入他向往的 医科，他还是获颁新加坡科技研究局的奖学金，修读国大生物医药科学系。

毕业后，胡艺胜考入杜克-新加坡国立大学医学院，间中又成功申请到挪威奥斯陆大学攻读 免疫学博士，2018年以医学和免疫学双博士学位毕业。

从挫折中学习，一步一脚印走到了今天，胡艺胜自认前方还有很长的路要走，而他也即将迈开 新的征途。他准备下来一边行医，一边做研究，扮演科研和医学领域之间的桥梁。

胡艺胜认为，当年遇到良师，为他的逐梦之路增添一大助力。“华助会的援助计划，让弱势孩子 有了更好的起跑点，让贫困家庭更有能力攀上社会阶梯。”