“Do not give up, do the best you can.”
Cheong Yu Yang is currently 25 years of age and is serving in national service. Before that, he was studying Nanotechnology and Materials at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP). Although the future looks bright for Yu Yang, it was not easy for him to come this far.

14 years ago, Yu Yang attended the Main Literacy Programme at the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) as he needed help to improve his English Literacy. In addition to dyslexia, Yu Yang also has Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) where he had trouble expressing his thoughts in English. Moreover, he came from a predominantly Mandarin-speaking family. He persevered and got into NYP through sheer grit in 2020. He struggled in Year 1 to learn how to adapt as it was during COVID-19. The majority of his lessons were delivered through online platforms even though his preference was to attend physical and face-to-face lessons. His visible stress was obvious to his teachers which prompted his Special Educational Needs (SEN) counsellor to refer Yu Yang to the DAS’s iStudySmart (iSS) programme in 2022 because he was having trouble adjusting to the academic life in NYP.
Yu Yang shared that “the skillset I have learnt [in] iStudySmart has helped me improve [on] my lab report writing and also my presentation [skills].Trello [also] helps me to plan out my weekly schedule and set the time record so that I won’t forget!”

If students are stressed, Yu Yang recommends the following:
- Stick to one or some activities for one to two hours.
- Take a break to go jogging while listening to music at the reservoir might help. Cycling is refreshing and improves muscle memory. It allows me to maintain my mental well-being and healthy lifestyle, and maybe it can help you too.
- Try relaxation and breathing exercises.
- Do some homework or preparation before seeking help from a lecturer or friend to clear doubts as individuals need to be aware of what they know and what they do not know. Most importantly, he emphasises and lives by the adage “Do not give up, do the best you can”.

When asked what advice he would like to give to students commencing or going through their tertiary education, he has this to share. “Failure will never overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough. Make it easy as ‘Day by day, in every way. I am getting better and better’.”
Yu Yang will be embarking on a Bachelor in Engineering in Materials Engineering from Nanyang Technological University after he completes his National Service. We wish him all the best!
Article written by
Rosalyn Wee
Lead Educational Therapist
Curriculum Specialist (English Language and Literacy Division)
RETA Fellow
iStudySmart™
The iStudySmart™ Programme aims to empower students to become confident and independent individuals through the acquisition of time management and prioritisation skills, planning and organisation skills, tertiary writing skills and presentation skills, critical in building a strong foundation for success in higher education and beyond.