20 LUMEN | JOSEPHIANS
Serving with a
Heart
By Daisy Chia
Being a policeman , fire fighter , teacher , counselor , and vigilante superhero had all crossed Mohammed Fareez Mohamed Fahmy ’ s mind at one point of his childhood . The glamour and fame of a superhero in particular was very alluring to young Fareez , but pragmatism won as he puts it : “ Being a superhero might not make much economical or rational sense .” He then dwelled on the possibility of the other four professions .
It was especially after the demise of his father when he was in Secondary Three that Fareez came to a realisation there was more to life than the pursuit of wealth and personal gratification . Thus began his journey in discovering which profession was best suited for him . The choice became clearer during his college years and National Service . He said , “ I realised that I had a penchant for listening to my friends ’ worries and difficulties , and veered towards pursuing counseling due to the feedback
they provided .” He then like a typical Singaporean , planned for a safety net while deciding on his career path . Initially , he wanted to do a double major in English and Psychology as English was meant to be the possible back up plan should counseling not work out for him . However after attending a talk on Social Work during his orientation , he found its mission of supporting the vulnerable , which include groups such as low income families , women or children facing violence , the elderly and disabled resonated with him . He reflected , “ Being from a low income single-parent family myself , I felt responsible to advocate for the needs of the vulnerable and work with them through the issues that were possibly similar to mine during my formative years .” Social Work was not just about ‘ talk therapy ’ but also about playing different roles of enabler , advocate , researcher , mediator towards the goal of social justice .
Fareez believes the Lasallian education he received in SJI had created an impact on his career choice and set the necessary foundation he needed to become a social worker . There were the Personal and Social Education and Religious and Moral Education lessons that paid special emphasis on Josephians becoming men for others . He was also inspired by teachers , who