In August his year, Shermaine Ang became the first woman to receive The Singapore Police Force (SPF) Scholarship, one of the most prestigious scholarships awarded by the Public Service Commission.

On Founder’s Day, Shermaine visited the school and spoke about her decision to join the Police Force and more about herself.

What motivated you to take the direction you have now decided upon in your studies and career path?

I was inspired to join the Force after attending an SPF fireside chat held in HCI, where I had a chance to talk to a few serving police officers including a female officer who was an alumni of HCI. I was impressed by the officers sharing their continued belief and experience of the meaningful nature of police work, and how the job allowed them to see a different side of our society and really interact with and help people from all walks of life. I was also impressed when the female officer shared that her gender in a male-dominated working environment did not pose a difficulty, because all of them (the police) work together for the same cause of keeping Singapore safe. The sense of teamwork and camaraderie in the workplace was also something I heard of and saw first hand when I went for the Aspiring Leaders programme held by the SPF, where we had the opportunity to learn more about the various types of police work and interact with officers. 

I was also drawn to policing because I believe that in future, the threats to countries including our own will most likely come from the danger of fragmentation from within. Back in 2018 when I had decided to take up policing as a career, my basis for such a move was the examples of the fragmentation of states into civil war like in Syria or Yemen or even into civil unrest like in the US, or from the threat of terrorism all around the world. But as recent events in Hong Kong have shown, violence and disputes between people with different interests and agendas, can really destabilise a country, let alone a city state. Thus, I wish to play a part in ensuring that Singapore does not have to head down that path.

I have decided to study History because it is something I have always enjoyed, and I believe that there is always something to learn from  studying the motives and intentions of people and the causes that precipitated events in history. And I believe the skills of reading many sources and thinking critically about the motives and evidence in support of various arguments would be helpful in my career in the future too. 

 Who were the key individuals in your life that made this possible for you?

My family, for supporting my decision despite the perceived and actual dangers that the job might entail in the future, and also the inconvenience the job may bring as well. I am also indebted to my experience and training under the Hwa Chong canoeing team with my batch of all newcomer girls, because it showed me that with discipline, confidence and hard work, even new comers can learn and start from the very bottom and work our way up. The training and working together as a team to achieve our goals also challenged me physically and mentally to manage what was difficult, and gave me the confidence to tackle the application requirements. After applying for the scholarship and entering the army, seeing so many other women signing up to serve the country from all walks of life and all at different levels of physical and mental fitness also showed me that there were not limits to who can serve the country, because we all can, regardless of gender.

I am also extremely grateful for Nanyang’s programme, especially its experiential learning programme (Sibu), that allowed me to see that challenging myself outside of my comfort zone is the best way for me to grow, even if that learning can be difficult and frustrating and even demoralising at times. The space that Nanyang provided for exploration and allowing my batch to push the boundaries of what had been done before – for example in proposing council projects or programmes that had not been tried out earlier – was also key to my belief in applying for a scholarship which no female had tried for previously. I am extremely grateful to Nanyang Debate Club, because it was the many hours spent reading and debating current affairs topics with  the team and our coaches that allowed me to be aware of the wider world outside of Singapore, see the value of thinking critically and thus consider the trend of internal conflicts, which led me to consider taking up policing as a career.

On founder’s day, what one thought would you like to share with your juniors and the school community?

I would wish for Nanyang and my fellow juniors to keep on pushing boundaries, challenging assumptions and be unafraid to take risks. This is because I have seen and also experienced how sometimes, the best place and pathway that an institution, school or an individual can head towards is the path where conventional wisdom and even those who are your mentors and leaders may not have considered possible, nor the most logical. I would also hope to encourage you, to never discount yourself from the possibility of achieving something that has never been done before, because unless it has been explicitly stated as impossible, who says you can’t be the first one? And finally, to keep on learning, accepting that failure is alright, and to keep working on it and know that there will be mentors and people who will be journeying with you, and from whom you can learn much.