David is a student of the Singapore Management University (SMU), with a double major in Psychology and Human Resources. He was the recipient of the Youth Shine Award 2010, which celebrates youth achievement. He has appeared in newspapers, his success story held up as an example for all to see.
But David was not always a star pupil.
In his secondary school days, he gang-hopped between 9 to 10 gangs, playing truant and getting into fights. He failed his Secondary 3 year three times, even after he was moved into the Normal (Academic) stream. He lost his best friend after rivals seeking revenge attacked his gang, and David was jailed for 18 months for rioting.
Upon his release, he went back to his old ways and got into more fights, attracting more trouble that landed him in jail for 6 years for attempted manslaughter.
These 6 years in jail was a wake-up call and a turning point for David, who began to pay more attention to his education. He went from a boy who could not pass Secondary 3 to the O Levels top-scorer in his class. He also scored well enough in his A Levels to gain admission into SMU.
David now works with Architects of Life as a mentor to “at-risk” youth, guiding them away from the mistakes that he had committed in his teenage years.
In this short video, David talks about his experience.
Join the Facebook group in support of giving second chances to youths like David – “We Believe In Second Chances”.
Fantastic story! Really glad that in our earn-money-earn-GDP-at-all-cost society, we still have a space for a second chance to those who need it and want it. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK DAVID, if you see this! Many other lives will be saved by your good work!
Good to see that he has managed to turn his life around and helping other youths turn theirs back
“It is easy to change a government but hard to change the character of a person”…Chinese proverb.
Let’s wait and see how he perform in life. Would his true character show when circumstance change to bad?
Wait and see. It is too early to use him as a mentor …getting a degree is only academic. Getting on with the challenges from FT and not able to get higher positions in a financial or management level bec. of past conviction will be the real challenge.
If you ran a bank, would you dare to allow him, an ex-convict and ex-gang member to be one of your bank manager who can access millions of dollars?
What if he does go back to his old ways, how could you answer to your board of directors and shareholders?
In a Singapore society where the top, LKY remembers all the primary school results of the opposition leaders, and the kaisu attitude, would he stand a chance to do something big a part from some social and church work?
Bernard,
by saying ‘If you ran a bank, would you dare to allow him, an ex-convict and ex-gang member to be one of your bank manager who can access millions of dollars? What if he does go back to his old ways, how could you answer to your board of directors and shareholders?’ you have expressed the attitude of many ‘typical’ Singaporeans.
I hope if you got a chance to employ this young man you would give him a fair chance and not judge him because of his past. Or else you would be a hypocrite for faulting LKY’s and PAP’s kiasu attitude.
Kudos to SMU for taking in this student and allowing him to succeed. He must now be given a fair chance in society or we would end up with another bitter, angry person hating the system for playing him out like this.
Well done, David for using the 2nd chance to better yourself academically. There are still many chances and hurdles ahead of your journey of life. Make sure you think through carefully for every step before you leap and not fall into the bad company and crime again. The test of the pudding is in the eating and prove your skeptics wrong! Wish you all the best!
Dear All,
Firstly I thank God for all your positive comments friends, cheering me on as I waddle through life.
Mr Bernard Chan, it’s nice hearing your comments.
Just my random thoughts:
Firstly, I do agree that I am not perfect and as you mentioned “what if he does go back to his old ways”.
I wish to believe that all of us have fallen short and are equally sinful. Big sin, small sin, caught or not caught, we are all guilty.
Accepting our frailty is the first step to humility.
And although there are success in my story to inspire hope and courage to others, I would rather wish to be known and weak where I need God and His Son Jesus to pull me through each day.
As long as I am obeying what the Word of God spoke through the bible, rest assured that my values will continue to be renewed day by day. In fact, I could only attribute my successes, transformation process as I am instilled with godly values day by day.
Also it is true that people don’t get our trust easily and it’s too early to say. Moreover, even if I am offered the position of a Minister, it’s not my call.
But what you may deem ‘success’ (in being appointed in a bank, parliament), I consider them nothing.
There is no amount of money we are going to bring to hell or heaven and there is no worth in having a legacy here that we need to worry about. What matters is that ‘ whether I will have eternity in heaven’ as God had promised outrightly to those who follow the Son. These are the last few words from the bible ( in the book of revelation, chapter 21).
“ 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
There is this God who promised to end all our woes and pain and everything in the time to come. What more can I ask? What more can I live for than for Him?
What we all need is the second chance from God for rebelling against our Creator and choosing to live without him, making Him angry.
Whether others give me a second chance is a bonus. I don’t fight for it. I just live in gratitude for a Living God gave me the chance I needed to repent and believe.
Thank you Mr Bernard for your thoughts; It’s a helpful bridge to air my thoughts too.
God bless you.
Well Done David…You are now a real man with plenty of vision.As a singaporean, I am very proud of you. Keep it up.
@Bernard Chan
Everybody is entitled to their opinion, i just like to say that you are being too harsh..!!
“Wait and see. It is too early to use him as a mentor”
He more than deserves to be a mentor for just ‘trying’ to change from his old ways. He has not only tried but to a certain extend achieved a great degree of feat. Would i give him a job in my bank if own one? SURE WILL !! I can bet life that he would be more honest than most people out there who think they are perfect and everybody else is flawed.
Every saint has a past.
Every sinner has a future.
I really hope he can inspire a lot of youths in our country who are getting out of control and getting off track.
I salute you bro.