SINGAPORE — Moving to Singapore at the age of 12, Chen Soon Cheng had to adapt to a new environment as he climbed the academic ladder from the Normal (Technical) stream to the Normal (Academic) and Express streams.

When he transferred from stream to stream, though, self-doubt sometimes plagued him because he had to study the same subjects as his peers but without the same foundation as them.

Now at 16, he scored distinctions on Thursday (Jan 11) and was named the best-performing student for his school.

For Eliza Puteri Md Fhaizar, now 17, being the main caregiver for her three younger siblings has meant spending her time outside school helping with their homework before catching up with her own studies.

With only so much time in a day, she had to make sacrifices and overcome her worries, but all that was aimed at achieving her dream of working in the film industry.

On Thursday, she passed her GCE O-Level examination with flying colours.

Aside from overcoming significant odds, what do these two students have in common?

Both gave heaps of credit to a group of nurturing teachers for their achievements as they collected their O-Level exam results on Thursday.

The duo were two of the 23,503 candidates who sat the exam last year, of whom 99.8 per cent achieved a grade of C6 or higher in at least one subject.

TODAY spoke to them about their achievements and hopes for the future.

HOPING TO BE A TEACHER

Students cheered as Soon Cheng was named top achiever at Unity Secondary School in Chua Chu Kang. Despite the announcement and the round of applause, he remained stoic, smiling only occasionally.

His facade cracked when he saw his history teacher while collecting his results, and he soon broke down in tears.

Speaking to TODAY after receiving his result slip — an L1R5 of seven — Soon Cheng said that his anxieties had lifted.

"I'm one step towards my goal... everything was worth it," he said as tears welled in his eyes again.

Coming to Singapore at the age of 12 from Johor, Malaysia, the pupil had a lot weighing on him as he entered secondary school here.

Not only did the Singapore permanent resident have to adapt to a new environment and school curriculum, but the death of his father that year left him "very sad and depressed". He declined to share more details of the loss.

"I was worried at first. There're many negative stereotypes around the Normal (Technical) stream but I was proven wrong," he added, noting that these stereotypes include students from the stream being left out and not integrating well in school.

"It was very enriching with all the workshops and group projects. I also learnt a lot of skills like teamwork and communication that shaped who I am today."

As his teachers gave him advice and extra lessons to catch up academically, their nurturing behaviour alongside the Ministry of Education's Education and Career Guidance programme helped him realise that his dream is to become a mathematics teacher.

"What kept me motivated to strive harder is my goal to be a teacher. To do so, I knew I needed to work hard so I have that career choice," he told TODAY.

He transferred to the Normal (Academic) stream in Secondary 2 and then to the Express stream in Sec 3. 

It was a feat not possible without the support of his teachers, who provided extra bridging classes during holidays to ensure he could keep up with his peers, he said.

He also had to complete two years of history, literature and geography classes in one year when he transferred streams, because those subjects were not available to Normal (Technical) students.

"I remember failing in my history classes during the first weighted exams because I didn't have the foundation required for the class.

"But my teacher was there for me by providing more classes and consultation. I got an A1 grade by the end of the year."

His resilience and hard work were not lost on his teachers, who gave him leadership roles in the student council and National Police Cadet Corps.

Another factor in his success was his family members, who helped him through trying times and whom he described as his "greatest source of success".

His mother, a supermarket worker, and two older siblings would not scold him if he performed poorly but rather analysed his results and suggested areas for improvement.

"My older sister would also give me life advice to be resilient and that everyone has different talents and she encouraged me by saying that I have talents in other sectors," Soon Cheng said.

He had to sacrifice much time for his studies, but he said that it was all worth it as he works to fulfil his dreams to become a teacher.

Soon Cheng was inspired by several role models, such as Madam Khamilia Hanapi, his history teacher, and Madam Jeslyn Cheong, his student council and National Police Cadet Corps advisor, as well as other teachers at Unity Secondary School.

"Without them, I wouldn't be who I am today," he said. "I hope to do the same for future students."

AIMING FOR THE STARS

With her mother working odd hours as a nurse and her father working overseas, Eliza spends her hours outside school caring for her three younger siblings.

With her oldest sister pursuing a Bachelor of Architecture in the United Kingdom, she helps her siblings with their homework and keeps the household running whenever her mother is busy at work.

"Since Sec 3, it's been almost routine to be caring for my younger siblings as soon as I go home. I typically reach home at 7pm, then I ensure they have their homework done by 9pm," she said.

"And with my homework and studies, I typically can take a breather at about 11pm or at midnight."

The older of a pair of twins, Eliza said that she was "taken aback" by the responsibilities and it was quite a lot to handle. 

However, what kept her going were her "guardian angels" — her "nurturing" teachers at Beatty Secondary School who provided a listening ear and support when she needed it.

"They helped me out of an unhealthy cycle of being clouded by negative thoughts that affected my physical, mental and emotional well-being," she said.

The stress she had made her sick, missing her history and mathematics preliminary exam papers. It was a "devastating" experience for her.

"One of my teachers noticed that I wasn't handling school life that well so I told her my feelings. She was very understanding and was someone I saw as a second mother," she said of Ms Toh Ji Rong.

"Thanks to her, I had someone to rely on and get through all my responsibilities and studies."

What motivated her through this was a dream, sparked by the Oscar-winning Hollywood movie La La Land.

The 2016 film headlined by actors Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, about a pianist and an actress falling in love while they chase their aspirations, sparked emotions that Eliza "could not explain".

She felt inspired to do something similar by pursuing mass communications at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

As she struggled with the fear of being rejected during the Early Admissions Exercise into her dream school, her teacher Fauziah Mohd Shariff left Eliza with some advice she holds onto dearly.

"As long as you have the passion, you'll find your way," Ms Fauziah had counselled her.

With an L1R5 score of 15 and an enrolment into Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Eliza's passion to be in the film-making industry is on track. And with this, she hopes to be like her older sister, who took on two jobs to save up enough to study overseas.

"She's my role model and I want to be like her, putting in as much effort as I can to chase my dreams," she said. "My teachers are my guardian angels. I hope I can continue to make them proud."