Global honours for Malaysian teen
THANKS to great determination and persistence, Tan Zheng Hua scored 11A+ in the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations.
The former Han Chiang High School student came first in the Best Across Eight Cambridge IGCSE examinations, an award which is calculated by adding up eight of Zheng Hua’s highest scoring subjects.
Zheng Hua, 18, also bagged the ‘Top In The World’ awards for IGCSE in mathematics (without coursework), geography and computer science.
“I am proud to be the first person from my school to achieve such heights and bring glory to both the school and the country.
“I want to thank my principal and teachers for their guidance all this while, ” he said in a Zoom interview.
He is now studying at Hamilton High School, Chandler, Arizona, United States, to get his high school diploma.
Zheng Hua is planning to enter Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) next year to study computer science and cyber security.
“I am interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects as well as history and geography.
“It is my dream to study at MIT but I know that the requirements are strict.
“I am working hard in my studies and co-curricular activities as well as taking part in community projects and camps.”
Besides studying, Zheng Hua also spends time playing basketball or jogging on the weekends.
He attributes his success to his family and teachers.
His father Tan Eng Hock is an engineer while his mother Teoh Kooi Peng is a programme manager-turned-housewife.
“My parents are my inspiration.
“I am grateful that they give me a great amount of autonomy to make decisions.
“Their way of educating me is a mix of liberalism and conservatism, ” he said.
During his free time, he loves to surf the Internet for topics he is interested in.
“I am always interested in current affairs.
“I try to get more information and case studies for my assignments online as it helps during the actual examination, especially in geography, ” he said.