At 15 years old, Hong You displays inspiring self restraint and discipline. While this took years of practice in the face of adversity, this resilient Young Heart beneficiary shows us what can be achieved when one puts mind over matter. 

Hong You sat swiveling in the extra chair of the Young Hearts’ staff office, glancing occasionally at the sign on the door that said ‘no students allowed past this point’. Outside, children ran off their dinners in a game of tag-you’re-it — much to the chagrin of the tutor for the evening. However, despite the commotion happening on the other side of the door, it was clear that there was something else on the interviewee’s mind. It was Wednesday evening, and Hong You’s perfectly curated schedule was being interrupted.  

For Good Habits, Start Early

“Five years of relaxation will give you 50 years of 苦 (pain), but five years of hard work will ultimately give you 50 years of relaxation.” 

While you might find most fifteen-year-olds snoozing their mornings away, Hong You was different. As a firm believer in consistency and discipline, Hong You keeps to a strict timetable that begins promptly each day at 4.30 am.  

“After a quick shower, I will do a brief 20-minute revision before I leave the house by 6 am. I’ll reach school at 6.10 am to get some exercises done in order to wake my body up before class starts around 7.30 am. This ensures that I am fresh and able to absorb the lessons for the day. After school, I’ll exercise again before I go home to take a cold shower and do my homework. Afterwards, I’ll usually meet my friends to study at the nearby Community Centre before we end the day with dinner and more exercise.”

However, Hong You wasn’t always this disciplined.

In Secondary One, like many others, the thirteen year-old spent his time on computer games. For eight hours a day he would immerse himself in the virtual world where he flourished and climbed up the ranks effortlessly. In the real world, however, he was lagging behind. In time, Hong You finally realised that his daily lifestyle was growing unhealthy. So he decided the following year that it was time for a change. That was also the year that the Yishun Young Hearts Care Corner opened up.

The Art of Trying Hard

Hong You was primary six when his parents broke the news to him — one that finally put a name to the struggles he had been facing on a daily basis for years: Dyslexia. 

“Words were often jumbled up. This made it hard for me to read and I was very demoralised. I thought I was going to be placed in Foundation level for English.” 

Yet, as fate would have it, Hong You met someone who refused to give up. He had a classmate who hailed from Malaysia, in search of a better life for his family back home. He stood out from the others because he studied hard and was highly motivated to succeed.

“Meeting someone like that made me feel excited to see what I could achieve in spite of my learning challenges. During the PSLE Preliminary examinations, I was failing all my subjects. However, in the last quarter, I decided to focus and managed to get into the Secondary One Normal (Academic) stream! 

I did well in Secondary One so they promoted me to the Express stream in Secondary Two, and in Secondary Three, they allowed me to take the combination of my choice — Pure Physics, Pure Chemistry, A-math, E-math, English, Mothertongue, Social Studies, and Combined Geography. I am grateful for that classmate who motivated me, and for where I am today.”

On his own, Hong You improves his English by training himself to read the local news to expand his vocabulary. He also employs the use of AI tools such as TurboLearn to turn his study notes into podcasts that he can listen to on-the-go. 

“The app also has a live audio function that can record the teacher’s lectures, turning it into summarised notes that helps with my revisions.”

Small Kid, Big Dreams

Hong You describes his dream role as an important man looking at stock markets all day with two huge monitors, and his phone by the side for quick updates. Almost like a scene from the Wolf of Wallstreet — a movie he has yet to see.

He gushes enthusiastically about trading jargon like the hammer candlestick, a pattern that helps with visual representations of price movements in financial markets, used to analyse and potentially predict future price trends.

“I got interested in trading charts when I first saw it on TikTok. It sparked my interest and I began studying it on my own after that. I love that there are many rules and categories that require a good memory for fast and efficient trading. I want to learn how to buy and sell stocks and do it for a living as a trader.” 

His plan is to go to Republic Polytechnic after completing his ‘O’Levels for a diploma in business and finance, before going to NUS Business School for his degree.

But that’s not all. Hong You shares that he wishes to have a family of his own in the future — inspired by his own parents who work hard to provide for him and his younger brother. 

“I want to be a dad that can support his kids financially and emotionally. Even though I’m currently growing up with my own challenges, I do not want my children to face these same difficulties.”

Young Hearts Forever

“Not all of my friends are motivated to study hard. However, I am still able to talk to them and be friends regardless — they don't need to follow my path. I won’t disagree or agree with them; I just accept that we are different. However, they say that “hard work beats talent”, and I firmly believe that. 

When I did not prioritise my studies, the Singapore Red Cross’ Young Hearts Programme helped me to understand why academics were important. They also gave me the help I needed, in English and in Math, to catch up with my peers through the free tuition provided once a week. 

I will always support Young Hearts because everybody deserves a chance, even if they are starting from scratch. With Young Hearts, they have the opportunity to get good grades, change their lives, and be proud of themselves.”

He remembers a friend from primary school fondly. She passed away from cancer and he never got the chance to say goodbye. However, the tragic incident turned into a life lesson for him: one that signals how moving on always begins with the first step. Whether that be a loss of a loved one or a bad report card. This is the only way to move towards a victorious life.