SMU School of Information Systems undergraduate Tan Jian Hao is one of four young Singaporeans with disabilities who have been awarded scholarships to pursue higher education in IT-related fields at the Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship 2016 award ceremony. Jian Hao, who was diagnosed with loss of hearing at the age of seven, began to lip-read and communicate through sign language. He has since graduated with a Diploma in Engineering Informatics at Nanyang Polytechnic. He also excels in sports and is passionate about giving back to the community and helping others with disabilities. The Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship, now into its eighth year and administered by disability organisation SPD, aims to help promising local youths with disabilities pursue higher learning in information technology (IT)-related fields, by providing them with funding for IT-related diplomas or degree courses offered by local polytechnics and universities.
[Featured Photo: Noah Si, Tan Jun Long, Raymond Zheng, Tan Jian Hao. Image Source: SPD]