12
LUMEN | FEATURE
With
Gratitude
By Jonathan Farnell , Justin Chak and Luke Tan
Mr Danny Yong , an old boy from the Class of 1988 , is now a successful hedge fund manager and philanthropist . Although he has found success in life , he still gives back to his alma mater to show his gratitude for the years of education he has received from SJI .
“ Iwouldn ’ t be here without SJI ”, said Mr Danny Yong .
He came to SJI in 1985 at the Bras Basah campus . Recalling his days in SJI , he said that the environment was very relaxed and he made a lot of friends there .
“ After school , my classmates and I would go to the sports field and the Basketball court . Sometimes , we would go to a friend ’ s house to play Mahjong and Poker .” This “ camaraderie ” - hanging out with his friends every day has had a huge impact on him and shaped him to become the person he is today . Reflecting on his time in SJI , he liked the fact that it had people from all walks of life , which helped him later in life in dealing with people of different backgrounds and races . The Lasallian Catholic education provided him with a basis to develop a sense of being a “ man for others ” and helped inculcate a good character in him . “ SJI has made me who I am ”, Mr Yong reflects .
After leaving SJI , Mr Danny Yong made it into the national badminton team . He would train day and night almost every day to stay at the top of his game . However , after completing his A-Levels , Mr Yong received a reality check and decided to quit the sport . Mr Yong “ had no real plans ” and was the kind of person who “ takes it as it comes ”. While serving National Service , his bunkmate was going to study Business at Nanyang Technological University
“
SJI has taught me everything I know . If I didn ’ t come to SJI ,
I might not be the person I am today .
“
( NTU ), so Mr Yong decided to follow him and eventually graduated with a degree in Business . From there , he had various stints with different banks before he founded Dymon Asia in 2008 , which is ranked amongst the top performing hedge funds globally .
Despite his success in life , Mr Yong never forgot the days of his youth and in SJI , and how it had impacted him greatly .
At age 10 , his father passed away , leaving him to grow up in a single-parent family . Back in his days in SJI , he recalls of Brother Joseph Kiely , who was in charge of the prefects of the school , which Mr Yong was part of . “ Brother Joseph was
very kind , he always reached out to me when I was down , and made sure that I was always alright ”, Mr Yong recollected . “ The briefest of moments can greatly impact someone ’ s life ; SJI was not about you , it was about the community .”
As a result of his successes , Mr Yong decided to give back to SJI . He established the Yong Hon Kong Foundation , in memory of his late father . This foundation provides students from single-parent families with financial assistance , but also gives him a platform for Mr Yong to talk to them , to tell them “ it ’ s okay ” and that “ everything will be alright ". Mr Yong has also made a substantial donation to SJI through the Foundation in aid of our campus redevelopment fund . In appreciation of his generosity , the Foundation ' s name is prominently displayed on the facade of Block B at SJI .
Other than the Yong Hon Kong Foundation , Mr Yong has set up several charitable causes such as the Majurity Trust , the Ray of Hope Initiative and most notably , the Tangent initiative , a new way to approach hiring employees which was inspired by his time here in SJI . To him , a person ’ s character holds greater value than their education level . After all , it was his “ sheer force of will ” that got him through the years . Throughout his time in SJI , Mr Yong learned to challenge himself and take different approaches when solving a problem . The many projects that Mr Yong has embarked on since his time in SJI goes back to one idea : “ SJI has taught me everything I know . If i didn ’ t come to
SJI , I might not be the person I am today .”
When asked how we could thank him for his contributions to SJI , Mr Yong simply said , “ Spread the word of my initiatives ! I got here to where I am now because of all the kind people I ’ ve met along the way . Singapore would be a better place if people helped one another .”
This page ( top ): Block B is named after the Hong Yon Kong Foundation
This page ( bottom ): The Yong family receiving a token of appreciation for their generous donation towards SJI .