Grace Chan

News & Events News & Events News & Events Highlights While many kids at her age would spend their time catching up with the latest games on their electronic devices to have fun, Grace found that spark of joy in the swimming lessons that she took up in her younger days. Her time spent gliding gracefully through water led her to discover lifesaving. Her commitment and deep passion for the sport has seen her gone on to break a national record and commit to honing the talents of SIM’s Swimming & Lifesaving Club’s (SLC) members. Please complete the following sentence with one adjective that describes yourself best:  I am resilient Please do elaborate on why you chose the adjective above. The most prominent example would be my journey towards the 2018 Lifesaving World Championships, where I had the honour of representing Singapore. I remember setting this goal back in 2014 and it took a lot of hard work to eventually get there. I trained eight times a week amidst juggling school and work. Nevertheless, I stayed focused on achieving this goal and broke the 11-year national record for the 100 Meters Manikin tow with fins. Hence, I believe, that my resilience and determination has helped me to achieve success in my sporting career. How did you gain an interest in lifesaving? Although I grew up swimming, I did not fancy the competitive aspect of it. I discovered lifesaving in 2014. I did not know that I would eventually deep dive into it. Lifesaving consists of many components, from the pool to the beach. Essentially, you are always learning something new which makes the sport thrilling. Aside from that, I was greatly influenced by my cousin (an active competitor in the sport) who drove me to train and work harder and strive for excellence. Tell us more about your involvement in the sport? Lifesaving is a relatively unknown sport in Singapore. It is often mistaken and associated with lifeguarding and it is not recognised as a sport. Being part of the SLC team allows me to share my training and overseas experiences with them and I hope to inspire and motivate my fellow peers to strive for excellence in the sport. I also hope to impart values such as resilience, perseverance, and teamwork. Could you tell us more about your involvement in the FINA Water Polo Challengers’ Cup 2019? I was fortunate to be part of the FINA Water Polo Challengers’ Cup 2019 from 8 to 13 October 2019. The Singapore Swimming Association (Water Polo) gave me the chance to be part of the organising committee, assisting primarily with the transportation and accommodation duties. This event gave me a first-hand experience of being involved in an international event, working with teams from various countries. The experience was especially valuable to me as I was able to apply what I learnt to my studies. What inspired you to take up the Sport degree at SIM-University of Stirling? Sport has been something I grew up doing, and what I’ve been passionate about. Taking the degree felt like the right decision after I completed my Sports and Wellness Management diploma in Nanyang Polytechnic. Since then, my desire and passion towards the industry has broadened. This degree programme enables me to pursue my passion. How have you benefitted from the programme? The SIM-University of Stirling programme has worked to my advantage and has provided me with a holistic education. The curriculum has allowed me to juggle between work, training and classes. The knowledge and skills gained from the programme have prepared me well for the workforce as I am able to complement what I learn in school with the industry experience gained as I work part-time at the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA). What are your goals for the future? I hope to continue inspiring younger people to follow their dreams of studying sports, as well as doing sports. Apart from that, I hope to give back to the Lifesaving community to grow the sport. Upon graduation, I aspire to be a student development officer to pass on the torch of helping other aspiring students to reach their goals. #IChoseTheSIMPathway #ThisIsMyStory #GlobalHero Click here to learn more about the programmes awarded by the University of Stirling. Posted online, 03 Dec 2019