Address by Prabakaran Sahana, Valedictorian, at the SINDA Excellence Awards 2025 on 20 September 2025

Guest of Honour, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and National Development and President, SINDA, Minister Indranee Rajah;

SINDA Executive Committee Members;

CEO, SINDA, Mr Anbarasu Rajendran;

Guests, Award Recipients & Family Members;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Introduction

1. A very good evening, and congratulations to all the award recipients and their families. I am Sahana, and I feel grateful to join you today as valedictorian of the 2025 SINDA Excellence Awards. This award reflects not only my own efforts but also the support of my family, mentors, and community who have guided me along the way.

2. A little about myself: I graduated with High Distinction from NUS High School last year with Honours in Biology and Chemistry, and majors in Mathematics and Physics. Today, I am a first-year medical student at the National University of Singapore.

3. This evening, I would like to share not just my journey, but the lessons that have guided me — lessons that I hope will resonate with you as you embark on your own paths.

4. The first lesson I learnt is this: you will never go wrong if you follow your heart. Not every opportunity needs a logical reason — sometimes curiosity itself is enough.

5. When I co-founded Positivitea, a mental health initiative, with my seniors at the height of the pandemic, it wasn’t because I had a clear plan. It was simply because I wanted to support my peers. Together with my friends, we were able to organise wellness weeks and healing performances that helped destigmatise mental health conditions in our school.

6. The second lesson is that service shapes us into who we are meant to be. Every act of giving back adds to who you become.

7. One of my most challenging experiences was tutoring a child with Selective Mutism at SHINE Children and Youth Services. Communicating through non-verbal cues taught me patience and empathy, and showed me the struggles families face in silence.

8. Later, through Project LED — Livening Every Domestic Worker — I worked with migrant sisters who shared their struggles with me at a health carnival. Together with my team, we reached over 150 workers through health screenings, legal clinics, and wellness activities.

9. These, along with my work as a NUHS Ambassador and at Assisi Hospice, made one thing clear: service is where my heart lies.

10. My experiences in service also shaped my career aspirations. Medicine, with its intellectual, emotional, and physical challenges, resonated deeply with me.

11. But choosing a path can feel daunting. My third lesson is simple: stay curious, listen to your evolving inner voice, and ask yourself — will I be happy with this decision 5, 10, or 20 years from now? If yes, go for it and don’t look back.

12. And as you do, commit to serving long-term in something you care about. Volunteering teaches you to look beyond yourself and builds a sense of belonging to a larger community.

13. My fourth lesson is about resilience — and the strength of vulnerability.

14. At 16, I began experiencing unexplained symptoms: fatigue, slowed thinking, and changes in my body. My grades fell, and countless doctor visits gave no answers. It was only last year that I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition.

15. I was hospitalised twice during my final year, including one week before my exams. It was a dark and difficult time, and I doubted whether I would even graduate. But my doctor — a fellow NUS High alumnus — reminded me: “Sahana, you’ve managed so far. But you need to take care of yourself now so you can take care of others in the future.”

16. With medication, rest, and the support of my family and friends, I recovered enough to sit for makeup exams and graduate with my class. That experience taught me that resilience isn’t just about pushing forward — it’s also about leaning on others and allowing yourself to be vulnerable.

17. Finally, I learnt that people may like you when you seem perfect, but they will love you when you are real, vulnerable, and true to yourself.

18. One of my favourite books, Yeonmi Park’s In Order To Live, reminds us: “Your desert might not look the same as mine, but we all have to cross deserts at some point to become the person we are today.”

19. We each have our own struggles and journeys — and we should be proud of who we are becoming.

20. None of us succeed alone. Amma, thank you for always believing in me and being the voice of reason. Appa, thank you for being both my greatest motivator and fiercest critic — your Formula One analogies never fail to amaze me.

21. Supritha, my younger sister, thank you for our late-night conversations and for challenging me when I am set in my ways. And Daswin, my brother — thank you for reminding me of a mini version of myself, and all the best for your PSLE written papers next week.

22. To my fellow NUS High graduates, thank you for being inspiring companions I could learn from and look up to.

23. And thank you to all the friends, seniors, teachers, and kind strangers who lifted me up along the way.

24. Lastly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to SINDA for granting us this platform and for being a steadfast pillar of support for the Indian community.

25. Together, let’s uplift one another, unlock the endless possibilities ahead, and forge a brighter tomorrow. Thank you so much for listening, and I believe in each and every one of you.