LUMEN Issue 12 - December 2016 | Page 21

ALUMNI | LUMEN
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Tuan ’ s track record hints of a mantra that he lives by . Clearly he is motivated by the words of great visionaries Albert Einstein and Singapore ’ s first Prime Minister respectively : “ Many times a day , I remind myself how much my innerself and outer-self is built upon the labour of my fellowmen . And how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received ,” and “ To be successful in a profession or in business , to become wealthy cannot be compared to making the lives of your fellowmen better . This can bring immense satisfaction .” These men whom he admires , have set a precedent for him that he gladly emulates .
Awarded the ASEAN scholarship in 2004 , Tuan had ventured to Singapore from Vietnam for his upper secondary education at St Joseph ’ s Institution . Five years later , he received the A * STAR full scholarship for Undergraduate Studies in Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Imperial College London , UK ( 2009 ). Currently , Tuan is doing his doctoral studies in Neuro Science and Artificial Intelligence under a full scholarship from Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ). Amidst his many commitments ( teaching Statistics for Neuroscience and Introduction to Psychological Science at MIT ), Tuan finds time to pursue his passions . When free , he would devote his energy to his non-profit organisations , indulge in some cooking , read extensively and exercise .
Tuan ’ s passion continues to burn aflame . Having been privileged to continually receive an overseas education , he advocates the provision of accessible education that is powered by technology . He dreams big too . He states unhesitatingly , “ My personal aspiration is to build a global technology company that provides innovative products and services , which in turn helps people learn better and understand
themselves better .” Indeed , at the heart of every venture Tuan involves himself in is the idea of giving back what he has gained , to the same community that he belongs to .
Facing page : Tuan having a weekly reflection activity with Dream Project Incubator members
Ths page ( top ): Tuan ( sixth from left ) with staff on company pizza day
Ths page ( centre ): Tuan and fellow Vietnamese paying it forward in Dream Project Incubator
Ths page ( bottom ): Tuan ( extreme right ) with Mrs Sng and classmate Ong Chu Xian on his Sec 4 graduation day