From 2014 to 2017, I was part of NCC Sea (National Cadet Corps Sea) in Victoria School. As a cadet in training, I welcomed the difficult challenge and enjoyed the adrenaline of working in a team to overcome obstacles. I participated in activities organised by the CCA as well as the NCC Headquarters such as the Annual Shooting Competition, NCC Mini-League, and it helped add value to the performance of the unit and helped reap positive scores for the Annual Sea Competition and NCC Best Unit Competition. My contributions as well as the team’s hard work paid off when we secured a 1st Team Placing from 2015 to 2016 and the Gold Award from 2016 to 2017 respectively. In recognition of my dedication and leadership qualities, I was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant in 2016 and was in charge to train the newcomers of the CCA. As a leader, I helped to oversee the various training programmes and coached the juniors patiently. I had to be role model towards them and demonstrate good leadership traits such as compassion, empathy and the ability to inspire. I really benefitted from the camaraderie of my peer and on a higher level, from the experience gained in leading an amalgamation of people towards a common goal.
In 2015, I was part of the NCC Dragonboat Team and was appointed as one of the leaders of the team in 2016. I contributed to the team in achieving 4th position in the Annual Rowing Sea Competition in 2015. Seeing as to how much my team still needed improvement, I was determined to make a change. We worked on increasing the toughness of our training regimen by adding 2.4km runs each morning, a strict diet and implementing more exercises during gym training. At the start, all the team members, including myself, had a difficult time adapting to the rigorous training sessions. We were always drenched and tired before the first lesson even started, however we gave each other a lot of support and all our efforts paid off when we achieved 2nd position in the Dragonboat Competition that took place at DBS Marina Regatta Canoe & Kayak Fiesta in 2016. I was extremely proud of everyone since it was a substantial improvement as compared to the previous year’s performance. This was definitely the most memorable achievement that I have experienced in my secondary school life and if I were to do it all over again, I would.