When Mr Densonn Tan was four, his family fell into bankruptcy. When he was nine, his parents went through a divorce. And when he was 13, he was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Growing up amid financial difficulties and divorce taught the 23-year-old Republic Polytechnic graduate to “treasure the smallest things in life”. 

“There were many things I couldn’t attain as a kid, such as validation from my parents or certain wants such as toys or even T-shirts,” Mr Tan recalled of his experience.

To make ends meet, his mother took up a job as a supervisor at McDonald’s and had to feed three mouths on a salary of around $2,000 a month. 

To relieve some of his mother’s burden, Mr Tan started working part-time in Secondary 4, on top of juggling academics and leadership responsibilities. Throughout his education at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and Republic Polytechnic, he worked several part-time stints at warehouses or in the food and beverage sector. 

At 15, Mr Tan began therapy to treat his OCD. He also struggled with social interactions and being a slow learner, as well as dramatic weight gain, which was a side effect of the antidepressants he took. 

Despite these obstacles, Mr Tan qualified for Sec 5 after taking his N levels. He also managed to clinch a leadership role as secretary of the student council, and afterwards became the vice-president of his school’s alumni club, helping out at events such as prom night and sports day.

He learnt to accept his mental health condition. His therapy sessions helped him step out of his OCD condition to view things from a third-person perspective. This enabled him to defeat his debilitating impulses to perform repetitive actions for long periods of time.

“I learnt a few valuable lessons about tenacity and having the discipline and consistency to do the things you want,” he said. “How I got to where I am today is also partially because I’ve seen my parents suffer, and I realised I can’t rely on anyone in this world to be accountable for my own actions.”

Asked how he had juggled his many commitments, Mr Tan credited it to good time management and prioritising. He picked a part-time job that allowed him flexible working hours so that he could reduce his hours if he needed to focus on an upcoming exam.

After finding his feet, Mr Tan began to aim higher, eventually making his way to the ITE, where he studied applied and health sciences.

Along the way, he discovered his passion for food science and took a great interest in how food can affect one’s mental well-being, especially given his own battles with OCD. 

This spurred Mr Tan to apply for the Early Admissions Exercise at Republic Polytechnic. His urge for self-improvement also led him to become the captain of the dragon boat team and take up volunteering with World Vision, an international humanitarian organisation.

And the momentum he built from his excellent academic performance allowed him to receive the RP Higher Year Scholarship, which eased part of his financial burden.

He graduated from RP with a diploma in biotechnology and aspires to pursue his studies in food science and eventually contribute to “30 by 30” – the national goal of producing 30 per cent of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030.

To other youth from troubled backgrounds, he said: “Stay hungry, stay foolish. Do the things that you like to do, even if you think it’s far away from you.”

He added, quoting US actor Denzel Washington: “Without commitment, you’ll never start, and without consistency, you’ll never finish.”