Q&A with Yueyue

Q: When did you first arrive in Singapore? When did you join SFMS?
A: SFMS is my first school and only school in Singapore. I joined SFMS in 2017 (Year 8); I spent 5 years in SFMS.

Q: Briefly describe what contributed to your success (academically).
A: My parents are the main contributors. They never gave me pressure or forced me to do anything. Instead, they always encouraged me to do what I like to do, and try their best to understand my feelings. I told myself to never let them down, and I worked hard to bring honour to them. Secondly, SFMS and my teachers are also a very important to my academic success. It is not only about the knowledge they gave me, but also the way they deal with their students. I’m glad that through this school, I met the teachers who understood what students really need and took care of our feelings, needs and other aspects of school life and gave us a good study environment. Finally, I think focus on the lessons is more important than how much you study at home. Understand the concept you learnt is the first and the most important step to do, then we start to think how to take full control of the knowledge we gained (by application, analysis and evaluation, for instance). My focus on lessons contributed a lot on my efficiency of study.

Q: What do you like about SFMS?
A: SFMS’ teachers are responsible. They treat all their students fairly and equitably and prepare every single lesson seriously to make sure everybody can understand new concepts. Like what I said before, SFMS gave me support when I’m down; gave me a lot of opportunities to develop myself and demonstrate my talents and hone my skills, for instance, overseas service-learning activities and all the celebrations and events in school. My confidence has been greatly developed by attending all those activities and by joining student council. SFMS’s teachers are like our friends; this is very different from other schools by what I know.

When Yueyue had first arrived in Singapore to pursue an education, she did not feel comfortable speaking in English. She was the target of friendly jibes by her classmates for the curious way she pronounced words or applied vocabulary. However, in SFMS she made tremendous strides not only in her language competency but also other aspects of her growth and development as an individual. To improve her English and hone her English speaking skills, she volunteered as the student representative for several school events where public speaking was requited. More impressively, she was a volunteer teacher in a programme called “Lighting the Table Lamp” - she and another undergraduate taught needy pupils in China through online lessons where she planned and developed several English and Math lessons. Recognized for her leadership, dedication, and good interpersonal skills, she was a natural choice for the Chair of the Events Committee in the school’s Student Council as she was vivacious and able to rally people towards any project.

Chen Yueyue, an outstanding student who excelled in both her studies and co-curricula activities. She was also a recipient of the school’s scholarship award for 3 (check) consecutive years. Yueyue was the epitome of someone who could balance both an exciting personal life and studies. As a young fashionista of sorts, she often shared her tips on fashion, make-up and even cooking on her social media. In fact, she chose to write her Extended Essay on the cross-industry collaboration between Burberry and Tencent Holding Ltd – an interesting exploration of the curious ‘marriage’ between a fashion brand and a tech firm.

Yueyue has applied to Oxford and several other universities including University College London (UCL), London School of Economics (LSE) and Manchester in UK, NUS and NTU in Singapore also HKU and HKUST in Hongkong.