Justin Ross Clarke is not quite your typical Singaporean youth. He had the privilege of attending schools in New Zealand, United Kingdom and the Australian International School in Singapore for most of his school life. Despite the privileges, he lacked one major component to an otherwise perfect life – a father-figure to look up to.
Growing up, Justin’s father was away most of the time due to the nature of his work. His parents went their separate ways when he was a young boy. His mother made many sacrifices just to give him a normal and well-adjusted childhood.
Justin, though, did not once complain about the lack of a normal family nucleus. In fact, he used it to his advantage to do well in his studies so that he could repay his mom’s sacrifices and kindness.
But he was almost derailed along the road of excellence. The usually top student became complacent and slacked off during his first year in secondary school at Fulford School (United Kingdom). He fared quite badly and it reflected clearly on his mother’s face. Although his mother did not reprimand him, this was enough to turn him around.
The Diploma in Infocomm Security Management (DISM) graduate, who scored a perfect GPA of 4.0, counts hard work, diligence, willingness to persevere and his mother’s love and guidance as the ingredients for his success. His overseas education also helped to broaden his horizon and shape his out-of-the-box thinking. Justin has been awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Award.
With this mindset and the desire to try new food as a result of being away from Singapore for a number of years, Justin and a friend set up the Food Connoisseur Club (FCC) in Singapore Polytechnic. He admits to being embarrassed about his limited knowledge of local cuisine and has made it his club’s mission to expose people like him to local food. Despite the initial stumbling blocks, the FCC is now a popular student club with more than 200 members and counting, all thanks to Justin’s determination in establishing the club.
Justin has accepted the offer to read Arts & Social Sciences at the National University of Singapore as he wishes to pursue his passion in humanities. He hopes to land a
career in the Armed Forces or the Police Force after university so that he can contribute meaningfully to society and provide a better life for his mother.Awards won:
Lee Kuan Yew Award
IDA Gold Medal
Shell Companies in Singapore Prize
Information Systems Audit & Control Association Award
EC-Council Award
OCBC Prize
(The article was first published on SP's web site, May 2010)
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