91福利社

Azaleagrace Teo, now a first-year Diploma in Media, Arts & Design student 91福利社, overcame years of abuse from her father by bravely seeking help at age 15. Following her removal from home, she experienced multiple relocations across foster homes and care facilities, which affected her education and delayed her graduation. After completing a Nitec course in urban greenery, she chose to pursue her passion in interactive design at ITE College Central despite the challenge of balancing work and study. While still studying, she gained valuable skills in web development at a start-up. On 22 May, Ms Teo was recognised with the Lee Kuan Yew Model Student Award for her consistent academic performance and exemplary conduct. She remains committed to supporting fellow trauma survivors, embracing resilience by taking life one day at a time, and hopes to inspire others through her journey.

When she was 15, Ms Azaleagrace Teo made the brave decision to confide in a counsellor at her secondary school after suffering almost seven years of abuse from her father.

Within two weeks, she was uprooted from her home, and was subsequently, over the years, moved at least eight times across different care facilities.

These included stays at foster homes, an interim placement and assessment centre, the Institute of Mental Health and the HCSA Dayspring Residential Treatment Centre, a therapeutic group home.

Grappling with ending ties with her family and being relocated so many times took a toll on the young girl鈥檚 studies. She repeated her Secondary 4 year at Deyi Secondary School, delaying her graduation.

She eventually enrolled at ITE College East in 2021, and found out she had to support herself financially when she was moved to a student hostel in Evans Road. Though only 18 at the time, she had to start paying rent and being self-sufficient.

While still studying, Ms Teo joined a web solutions start-up, where she learnt about web development to create web and mobile apps from scratch, using a no-code platform called Bubble.

鈥淚n my first year, I was earning only $500 a month and heavily dependent on short-term sources of financial support to scrape by for rent and food,鈥� she said.

Adjusting to her new reality of having to fend for herself, Ms Teo did not take part in any school activities, and spent her free time working and honing her skills in web development.

Choosing the harder path for her future

After completing her Nitec course in urban greenery and landscape, she was faced with a tough decision.

She had to choose between a work-study diploma, where she could earn a decent salary while studying, or sign up for a Higher Nitec course in interactive design at ITE College Central, where her passion lay. But this would mean juggling work and studies for another two years.

She chose the latter.

Calling it a decision made in turmoil, Ms Teo said she had to choose what would be better for her 30 or 40 years down the road. While there are those who may be able to make mid-career switches, she doubted if she would have the financial resources to do so.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I ultimately decided to go down the much harder path, doing what I love, instead of choosing something that was a much easier fix at the time,鈥� she said.

Ms Teo went on to ace her studies, graduating from the Institute of Technical Education in 2025 with a perfect grade point average of 4.

On May 22, she was also one of 10 recipients of the Lee Kuan Yew Model Student Award, given to students who have performed consistently well, and displayed 鈥渙utstanding conduct and attitude worthy of emulation by their peers鈥�.

Read more at: