AMONG the 38 students graduating from Ngee Ann Polytechnic's first run of its pharmacy science programme yesterday was top student Ng Khai Yin, 21.
The Ipoh native bagged more than 30 distinctions - not bad at all for someone the school nearly rejected.
Three years ago, while still in her Perak home town, she learned that her application to Ngee Ann was unsuccessful.
The plucky daughter of a manufacturing manager and housewife got on a bus to Singapore and convinced Ngee Ann that it would not regret giving her a chance to study about drugs, drug manufacturing and clinical trials, in preparation for a hospital or pharmacy career.
As it turns out, she kept to her word.
In all, 4,600 students from Ngee Ann will graduate from various disciplines in the coming week.
The Senior Minister of State for Education S. Iswaran, the guest of honour at the convocation for the pharmacy science graduates, reassured them that despite the recession, this 'resilient' sector still had job opportunities and good prospects.
Last year, Singapore's biomedical sciences sector contributed $19 billion in manufacturing output and employed 12,450 people.
This year, another 900 jobs will become available.
Of the 38 graduates, eight have landed jobs, seven will begin their National Service and 23 will further their studies.
Miss Ng has offers from the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University to read chemistry but is still undecided about taking either offer.
'My true passion is in pharmacy, but I didn't get a place in the course at the university,' she said.
She added she would do what she did three years ago - appeal for a place in a university.
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