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When Joel Tan stood before his graduating class at Harvard Medical School this year, he told a story that many Singaporeans probably found difficult to believe.
Growing up in Singapore, all he wanted was to study biology.
Instead, he was repeatedly told that biology wasn't a realistic option because his grades weren't good enough. He was steered towards Physics and Chemistry instead.
After finishing school, he spent two years trying unsuccessfully to get into a university in Singapore. The message, he said, both directly and indirectly, was clear: perhaps higher education simply wasn't for him.
Then one university changed everything. The University of Toronto accepted him.
For the first time, he was allowed to study biology. More importantly, he found mentors who believed in him, laboratories where he could explore his curiosity, and a community that saw his potential instead of just his past grades.
That opportunity eventually led him to Harvard, where he graduated with a PhD and delivered the student address.
One line from his speech stayed with me: "Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not."
As I read his story, I couldn't help thinking about my youngest son.
Years ago, we found ourselves sitting in a very similar conversation here in Malaysia.
My son had just received his PMR results and was about to be assigned his Form Four stream.
Because his Mathematics and Science grades weren't particularly strong, the school placed him in the arts stream.
The problem was, science was all he ever wanted to study.
He wasn't chasing prestige. He wasn't choosing science because someone told him engineers earned good salaries.
He genuinely loved it.
He spent hours watching NASA livestreams, reading about space exploration and keeping up with discoveries from around the world. Science wasn't just another school subject.
It was his passion.
The teacher, however, saw only his PMR results.
She warned him that taking the science stream would be "digging his own grave." If he couldn't score well in PMR Mathematics and Science, she said, he would definitely struggle in SPM.
Then I asked my son what he thought. His answer surprised even me.
"If I struggle, then I struggle," he said. "But I want to study science."
There wasn't a hint of arrogance. He wasn't claiming he would excel. He simply wanted the opportunity to try.
The teacher grew increasingly frustrated. Eventually, she gave us an ultimatum.
"The school is offering you the arts stream. Take it or leave it."
So we chose to leave it.
I informed the principal that I would transfer my son to another school that would allow him to take the science stream. I also told them I would be writing to the Education Department about the matter.
A week later, something remarkable happened. The school called.
Suddenly, there was a place for him in the science stream after all.
Was the teacher wrong? Not entirely.
My son did struggle. His Form Four results weren't impressive. Additional Mathematics and Physics were especially difficult. There were moments when every warning the teacher had given seemed to be coming true.
But there was one thing the school had underestimated.
Passion.
When someone genuinely loves what they're learning, they don't necessarily become good at it overnight.
They become willing to endure being bad at it.
My son refused to give up. In Form Five, he doubled down. He attended extra tuition, worked harder than ever before and slowly caught up.
By the time SPM arrived, science had become one of his strongest subjects.
He went on to study Applied Physics at university, appearing on the Dean's List semester after semester until graduation.
Looking back, I often wonder what would have happened if I had listened to the teacher instead of my son.
Schools understandably use grades to make decisions. Resources are limited, and educators want students to succeed.
But grades measure performance at a particular moment.
They do not measure curiosity.
They do not measure resilience.
They do not measure determination.
Most importantly, they do not measure what happens when someone is finally given the opportunity to pursue something they truly love.
Joel Tan made it to Harvard because someone looked beyond his past grades and chose to invest in his future potential.
My son found his own path because he was willing to challenge a system that had already decided what he could and could not become.
Not every child who insists on taking the harder path will end up at Harvard or on the Dean's List.
That's not the point.
The point is that they deserve the chance to find out.
Sometimes the greatest gift a university, a school, a teacher or a parent can give a young person isn't certainty of success.
It's simply the opportunity to try.
Fa Abdul (fa.abdul.penang@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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