DIPLOMA IN AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS (S90, DASE)

Kennard Tay – Winner of Lee Kuan Yew Award, ST Aerospace Gold Medal, Institution of Engineers Gold Medal Award and OCBC Prize

There is no doubt that Kennard Tay was an excellent and exemplary student in SP. Besides being awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Award, ST Aerospace Gold Medal, Institution of Engineers Gold Medal  Award and OCBC Prize at the recent May 2022 Graduation Ceremony , he also won the Klass Engineering and Solutions Book Prize for topping his cohort in his second year in SP.

An earnest community service volunteer, Kennard also played an active part in planning his second year class visit to the SilverAce Senior Activity Centre at Bukit Merah and leading a six-month-long community service project, where fellow students of the polytechnic’s SP Outstanding Talent (SPOT) Programme helped in the weekly online “kidsREAD” and “We Can Read” programmes of Lakeside Family Services.  He also regularly visited those elderly living alone at Bukit Merah, and helped them with simple chores.

In recognition of his altruistic efforts, he was awarded the prestigious Harvard Prize Book (Singapore) in 2022. He was also the only 2022 recipient of SP’s Alfred Robert Edis Prize, which recognises an SP student for his active involvement in community service. In 2022, SP awarded him the SP Excellence Award for his overall contributions and being a role-model in upholding SP CORE values.

The Nan Hua High School alumnus has also been returning to his alma mater and serving as a primer in The Boys’ Brigade (BB). “As a primer, I mentor my juniors by giving them advice when they are planning activities, like the BB Cares and parade programmes, and camps,” he shared. In recognition of his leadership qualities and service for the community, Kennard received The President’s Award in 2020, the highest award in the BB programme.

Kennard’s volunteering experiences not only helped those around him but has given him direction regarding his future career. “Through being a peer tutor and serving as a primer in the BB, I have found my passion in teaching. I realised I enjoy tutoring and mentoring others, and I aspire to teach and inspire future generations,” he said. Kennard has applied for the Ministry of Education (MOE) Teaching Scholarship and hopes to be an inspiring teacher to the youth of Singapore.