by Marc Sim From breaking the law to upholding it as a lawyer, Darren Tan has overcome tremendous odds. While many of his peers were making their mark in the corporate world, he found himself facing the four walls of a prison cell. However, as the saying goes, “Life does not always offer you a second chance. When it does, It’s called tomorrow”. With every tomorrow, Darren continues to live in the present, while anticipating the future. He is a stark reminder that with faith and determination, we are able to transcend the trials and tribulations of life. This is his story, an inspiration to many. Adolescence was a period that led Darren astray. He joined a gang and led a life of drugs and crime. To gain credibility and respect among his gang members, he trafficked drugs and collected protection money. Initially, he would smoke weed and sniff glue to get high. As his cravings grew, he turned towards pricier drugs. Soon the law caught up with Darren and he was arrested. Charged with drug consumption and robbery, he was sent to a Reformative Training Center. One rung below full-fledged prisons, Reformative Training Centers are suitable for wayward youths who lack self-discipline, have no regard for law and authority, and are beyond the control of their parents.
Taking exams in a regimental environment was no easy feat, excelling in them made it harder. To earn a chance for law school, Darren had to sit for the Cambridge Advanced Levels examinations. While students in public schools had experienced teachers and a duration of two years to prepare for the exam, he had limited resources and a short time span of nine months. To increase his general knowledge, he would rely on reading newspapers with a dictionary and grammar book by his side. He bravely sought opportunities that came his way to improve his spoken English. When the prison ran an inmate-produced television news program called News Behind Bars, Darren actively participated as a newscaster. What followed was a dramatic turn of events. He aced the examinations and proceeded to sit for the National University of Singapore’s Law Admissions Test. Upon interviewing him in prison, professors from the law faculty were impressed by Darren’s strong sense of character and commitment in the way he schooled himself in prison and turned his life around. However, upon his acceptance into law school, life still was not a bed of roses for him. Class had already commenced two weeks before his release from prison. As he returned to school after nearly a decade behind bars, he struggled to quickly adapt to the competitive university environment. Unable to cope financially, he was the only student in the law faculty to have started school without textbooks and a laptop. Conscious of his past, he would distance himself socially from his peers and spent most of his free time sitting alone at a park. With the help of time, Darren started to slowly re-adapt into the pace of school life. Thankfully, the Yellow Ribbon Project sponsored his tuition fees at the National University of Singapore, lifting a huge burden off Darren’s shoulders. Apart from the provision of bursaries and funds for ex-convicts, the Yellow Ribbon project ties up with small businesses to provide an opportunity for ex-convicts to gain employment once they are released from prison. This initiative, set up by the government, has played a substantial role in helping ex-convicts like Darren re-integrate back into society. As Darren looks forward to graduating this year, not all is smooth sailing. Now aged 34, life still continues to be a challenge. To be a full-fledged lawyer, he has to be called to the Bar. One of the requirements is to be of “good conduct and diligence”, with the possibility of rejection from The Law Society or Attorney General. However, based on his performance thus far, many leaders in the legal fraternity are looking forward to welcoming him into the profession. From a convict to a lawyer, his story continues to be a source of motivation of many. With courage and determination, nothing is impossible. a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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