I recently read a Straits Times forum post by a recent RI graduate, who believed that elitism can be good for society. It was eye-opening, to say the least, and immediately brought to mind one of my favourite comics.
The full comic is available at the Wireless. (Artwork courtesy of Toby Morris)
I find this comic always relevant, and a good reminder for all of us – our personal and professional successes are in part due to our merit, but also due to the foundations that our families, teachers and societies establish for us. We should always be appreciative and grateful.
This comic also made me reflect on my own biases: I come from a relatively privileged background, allowing me to study at a highly-ranked university in US and then work in finance in Taiwan. It shocked many when I decided to give up my high flying career (I had just been promoted) to move back to Singapore to set up KidStartNow to help kids develop an interest in learning Chinese.
I truly felt a calling – and knew I could help kids (often English speaking kan-tangs like myself) love to learn and excel in Chinese. And I’m happy to say that thanks to the efforts of our exceptionally talented team, we are progressing well.
A key motivation for starting KidStartNow is a desire to give back to society and our community. And so, we set up a sponsorship programme from day 1 and provided nearly $10k worth of classes and camps to financially disadvantaged students. We want to do our part to ensure that kids from less advantageous backgrounds have an equal head start as their peers.
We continue to feel strongly about the importance of equality in Singapore and want to play our small part in it. And so, we am happy to announce that we will be releasing 5 new two-year sponsorships, for kids entering K1 in 2016.
Each 2-year sponsorship is worth more than $4k and will cover the full fees of our enrichment classes and holiday camps. To apply, please fill up this form and we will be in touch.
Dan,
KidStartNow (http://www.kidstartnow.com)
Co-founder and director
KidStartNow 
Aug 13, 2015 @ 20:51:01
There are very little businesses who take CSR (Corporate Social Responsibilities) as seriously as you do Dan. We salute you for paying it forward, not with words but with deeds. Well done! May the scholarships truly benefit those who are needy (from less privileged backgrounds) so they too can have an equal starting line as their peers.
Aug 13, 2015 @ 21:16:52
Thank you Angie! We definitely hope that the sponsorships will help some kids from less privileged backgrounds have an equal starting point as their peers, especially since P1 Chinese can be quite difficult for kids. We’ve received loads of help from others in the past, and just hoping to do our small part to help the next generation.
Aug 14, 2015 @ 10:34:48
Very proud of your efforts, Dan! Have shared this news on Facebook. Wishing KidStartNow grow from strength to strength!
Aug 14, 2015 @ 12:34:34
Thank you Carol for your kind words and well wishes, and we really appreciate it!