Singapore — A 29-year-old inmate has topped her inmate cohort in the results for last year’s GCE O-level examinations, according to the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) on Wednesday (Jan 13). Her story was released on Captains of Lives, the Facebook page of the SPS.
The inmate, “Anna”, found that she had scored straight As when the results were released on Monday (Jan 11). These results place her at the top of her inmate cohort.
According to the SPS post, “Anna” then walked back to her cell and scribbled “I did it!” in her diary.
“Anna”, who was sentenced for drug offences in 2016, chose to retake her O levels last year. Since her decision, she has been putting in much grit and determination to score well, and her hard work has clearly paid off.
The last time she broke down was in 2016, when her lawyer advised that the time she was looking at for her crime was…
Posted by Captains of Lives on Wednesday, 13 January 2021
She credits her outstanding results to her maths and Form Teacher Ms Jayme, who “pushed (her) and encouraged (her) every step of the way”. The journey has also taught her more discipline and to have faith in her abilities.
The mother of one said that she used to always go with the flow and never thought much about the consequences of her actions. However, after receiving her results and reflecting more, she has learnt that good choices are what is important in life. Her stellar results show that, with hard work and determination, one can achieve anything.
“Anna” is serving a 22-year sentence. She currently has plans to take the GCE A-levels later this year, while her long-term goal is to take the train home when she is released.
Denise Teh is an editorial intern at The Independent SG. /TISG