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Despite taking a longer route than usual, Prabhmeet Kaur persevered and her efforts have rewarded her with the 2016 Tay Eng Soon Award for ITE Upgrader. Source: The Straits Times @ Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction Confident and articulate, one will not be able to tell that Prabhmeet Kaur, the 2016 School of Business Management Valedictorian once struggled with poor grades in her in secondary school. The 24-year-old alumna failed maths twice during her �O� levels and could not apply to a polytechnic. She eventually enrolled in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in a biotech course, a "practical" choice because of her interest in science. However, she discovered she did not like the laboratory environment, and instead found a passion for writing and public speaking as a student ambassador at school events. Prabhmeet subsequently applied through the Special Direct Admissions Exercise to NYP�s Diploma in Mass Media Management course a

Skipping out on his GCE O-Levels through the Nanyang Polytechnic Foundation Programme (NYPFP), former Normal (Academic) student Ryan Christian Mission took an unconventional route to his dream course at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)! Armed with outstanding GCE N-Level results, former Commonwealth Secondary School student Ryan Christian Mission gained a spot in NYP without even having to sit for his O-Level examinations. This was all thanks to the Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP), which enables high-scoring students in the Normal (Academic) stream to attend a year in PFP instead of secondary 5, where they would study relevant modules to their respective choice of course in poly year 1, as well as common modules as in secondary school � Language & Communication (English), Mathematics, Physical Education and more. Securing his position at the School of Interactive & Digital Media (SIDM) at NYP a whole year before his peers, Ryan explained, �[SIDM] is known as one of the best sch

The GCE �N� and �O� level results will be released soon, and whichever polytechnic you choose, the choice is in YOUR hands � yes, you! To our incoming freshmen of 2017, this is my take on why you should choose Nanyang Polytechnic. 1.Convenient Location! Let me begin with the most well-known fact: NYP is just a few minutes� walk away from Yio Chu Kang MRT Station.  No feeder bus services from an MRT station! Also it is just a few stations away from town, what more could you ask for? You might wonder why the location matters. Well, think about the travelling time every morning! Imagine a situation where the only thing harder than school is getting to school (we don�t want that, do we?). 2. A straight pathway to all areas! There are no elaborate structures, nor multiple annex buildings at NYP. Everything is interconnected. So it is very unlikely for you to get lost in NYP. Why? The campus is structured around two horizontal corridors parallel to each other, no matter where your destinatio

A typical day for Billy Ker starts at 4.00pm when he reports to The New Paper (TNP) newsroom and works on his assignments until the newspaper is sent for printing at around 1.00am. As an infographics journalist, he conceptualises eye-catching graphics to go with the news articles so that readers can understand the story better through the visualisation. Sounds like a lot of drawing for Billy. But it�s certainly not a bad thing for someone who has always been fascinated by cartoons and animation, especially those from Disney. So the passion for animation started rather young for Billy. After his �O� levels, Billy naturally gravitated towards his passion. He visited Nanyang Polytechnic�s (NYP) Open House and learned that the polytechnic offered an animation course that was pretty specialised and made it his first choice during the Joint Admissions Exercise. His three-year NYP journey was as fruitful one. �The course prepared me for the real world, in areas such as meeting deadlines and m

�The Midland Trail is more than a road; it�s a virtual history book. Originally a crude pathway worn by buffalo and the early pioneers, it stretches from White Sulphur Springs westward to Kenova, zigzagging along rivers, over mountains and through lush valleys. Along the way it touches just about every aspect and time period of West Virginia�s story�coal mines and chemical plants, Civil War battlefields and historic churches, ancient Native American burial mounds and African-American slave quarters� (Highway to History, by James E. Casto). To celebrate this historic road, I�ve chosen to highlight some of the waterfalls that line U.S. 60 from just east of Gauley Bridge to Charlton Heights. Some of these waterfalls, like Cathedral Falls, are well-known landmarks. But most are smaller and lesser known seasonal waterfalls that flow best in the winter and spring months during periods of rain and thaw. Although they don�t run all year long, when in season, these waterfalls are as pretty as a

When the going gets tough, the tough gets tougher but no matter what, it won�t bring Edsel Li Zhenhao down! Months after graduating from Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) with a respectable Grade Point Average (GPA) score, Edsel Li can look back at his topsy-turvy days of his life with a smile, and give himself a congratulatory pat. It was only some years ago that he was at his low point and could not understand what his teachers were trying to teach and failed all his subjects. He was at a loss on whether to continue his studies at the Institute of Technical Education. And his mum and brothers were worried about him all the time. Thanks to a couple of life�s difficult moments, such as not getting paid for work done by errant employers, he realised that education is the stepping stone to a good future. He re-enrolled into ITE, found a bunch of hardworking buddies and graduated with an excellent GPA of 3.9. NYP may not be his first choice but he says it�s a �blessing in disguise�. Not only did

After I dropped to NA (Normal Academic) in Secondary 2, the PFP (Polytechnic Foundation Programme) was at the top of my wishlist. The PFP is a direct route into the poly after the N Levels. It meant that I could skip Secondary 5 and the O levels. Everyone in NA wanted to qualify for PFP and I was no different. Thankfully, my results were good enough, and I was admitted into NYP�s PFP course in 2015. Think of it as the bridge between secondary school and polytechnic. During the year-long course, we take a mixture of secondary 5 subjects and modules that prepare us specifically for our chosen diplomas. Before my PFP year started, I confess I had expected it to be a rather easy and carefree time where I could just sit back and relax. It was not the case! And I had definite highs and lows. For example, we had to take Language and Communications which was very much like English in secondary school. It was probably my favourite module! From the blogging to filming and roleplaying, I had tons

Theng Yeong (second from right) and his classmates with their very first studio project  By his own admission, Kong Theng Yeong was a bad student in secondary school. Homework were never completed, exams were a non-priority and he barely attended CCA. Needless to say, his grades were far from average and eventually his parents gave up on him. But the day came when he decided to change all this.   He started to work hard for a place in the Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP). He managed to get a good score for his GCE �N� Levels and chose to pursue the Diploma in Digital Media Design (Games) under the School of Interactive & Digital Media. On enrolling in NYP via PFP, Theng Yeong said, �I wanted to get a head start on art classes through the PFP since I took food and nutrition option in secondary school. I thought I�ll be left behind since my peers would probably have an arts background.� What initially seemed like a flippant choice for Theng Yeong turned out to be one of his bes

From left: Silat Champion Sheik Farhan with his father,  Singapore Silat Federation CEO Sheik Alau'ddin Credit: Singapore Silat Federation (PERSISI) He may be a world silat champion but Sheik Farhan says he doesn�t have �special moves� or extraordinary skills�. Instead, he thinks it is his metal strength, will-power and confidence that has propell seed to him to the top. Farhan, who is a year 3 student in digital and precision engineering, recently won a gold medal at World Pencak Silat Championships in Bali. He beat his opponent 5-0, despite having a bad ankle. �I am happy and proud to win for my country,� said the soft-spoken 19-year-old, who confesses to being an introvert. So, most people at NYP would not know that they have a Silat champ walking alongside them in the corridors. �Nah, I don�t really talk about Silat too much,� he says with a small laugh. Winning hasn�t come easy. A typical day would mean waking up at 6 am, leaving his home in Pasir Ris by 7 am, to get to NYP by

I didn�t know what I wanted to do after I graduated from polytechnic. But the Career & University Fair (CUF) which took place at NYP last week has made me look forward to my future! The fair was held over two days at the atrium and auditorium of NYP. Students were strongly encouraged to attend this exhibition, so I did just that on the second day with my class. Classes were allocated different timings to visit the exhibition. At first, I thought it would be a waste of time, but surprisingly, it turned out to be very worthwhile! Day 1 of the exhibition focused on Business, Information Technology and Media & Design sectors, while Day 2 was dedicated to Science and Engineering sectors. On both days, activities were planned for students to discover themselves and their career and further studies prospects in simple, yet meaningful ways. Self-Discovery Booth Activity sheet The first booth I walked into captured most of my attention. It was called the �Self-Discovery Garden�. It was

Weaving visual magic into National Day Parades since 2011 If you have seen the brightly coloured animated graphics accompanying each act during the National Day Parade (NDP), you may be surprised that they were not created by professionals, but by third-year students from Nanyang Polytechnic�s Motion Graphics & Broadcast Design (MGBD) diploma course. From left: Kristine Chua, Wilson Low, and Patey Ng, some of the 20 students involved in the NDP project For the past five years, students from this course have been behind the animation and special effects that you see at our NDP. Each year, about 20 Final Year Project students work on creating the vivid imagery for NDP�s various acts, bringing excitement and realism into each scene of the show. Their work includes sourcing for reference materials, creating storyboards, modelling the storyboards in 3D software, improving on the graphics and remodelling the graphics to the client�s expectations. This takes a whopping six months to compl

When I found out I was joining NYP after my �O� Levels, I was worried about coping with a new environment. Even before the Freshmen Orientation Camp, I had asked relatives and siblings who had studied in polytechnics about all the ins and outs of polytechnic life. My emotions were like a roller coaster and I wanted to know exactly what to expect before entering NYP. Time does fly and now I am in my second year in NYP. I have learnt a lot, but if I could start all over again, there are five things I wish I�d known: 1. Know Your Course Specializations  NYP offers about 50 diploma programmes, and certain courses have their own specialisations, which have to be selected in the second or third year. For example, Molecular Biotechnology offers specialisations in Biomedical Sciences or Molecular Biotechnology, while Business Management offers seven specialisations! Most of my friends did not know this, which led them to making last minute decisions.  I�d recommend that you find out more about

Nestled in the steep slopes of the New River Gorge are hundreds of rugged waterfalls. These waterfalls are fertile ground for nature lovers offering challenging hikes and striking landscapes. Having published a photo book of the waterfalls of the New River Gorge, I�d like to share five of those waterfalls that really stand out.  Cathedral Falls Let�s start with picturesque Cathedral Falls, which is located on US Highway 60 one mile east of Gauley Bridge, WV. Since the falls are located at a roadside rest stop, access is easy. You can literally step out of your vehicle and start photographing the falls. Descending 60 feet in a series of three dramatic drops within a large semi-circular rock amphitheater, Cathedral Falls is as photogenic as they come. Easy access generally means plenty of visitors and photographers, so you have to be patient and creative to get a photograph. To eliminate people in the foreground, I generally work my way around the left side of the rock amphitheater for c