Meet our APB Foundation scholars – Setting sights on the Big Four

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Marcus Lim, 25

Third-year accountancy student at Nanyang Technological University

Since birth, Marcus was diagnosed with glaucoma in his right eye, which caused vision loss and blindness due to damaged optic nerves.

I wonder how it feels like to watch 3D movies, which I can’t as I would need to see through both the red and blue lenses of the eyewear.

Marcus looking ahead and smiling

As his limited peripheral vision impairs his ability to comprehensively assess his surroundings, Marcus faced immense challenges when he was young, especially in performing seemingly straightforward activities such as walking up and down stairs, and navigating obstacles. His actions were further complicated by his lack of depth perception, which caused him to sometimes reach out to grab an item but only to miss it.

With an affable and confident demeanour, it is hard to image that Marcus is still struggling with social interactions.  He shared that it can be difficult to establish eye contact with the person he is interacting with, and it does not help that some people finds him scary-looking. “There were some instances on board the MRT, when a child would look at me and started crying. This was probably because I looked scary to them,” he said.

“Oftentimes we feel angry or sad because we put meanings to nasty words. So, if we strip away those meanings and take the words at face value, we may not be as affected as we would be.”

There were also the unpleasant remarks that he had to deal with. Marcus recounted how he was bullied by some of his peers during his Primary and Secondary school years. Taunts, nasty names and songs created to poke fun of him. “I was outside the exam hall when this child suddenly shouted at me and name-called me. I broke down on the spot,” he recalled.

Such bullying may have lessened now but Marcus still receives unpleasant or insensitive remarks from time to time. How does he deal with it? “If you ask me if I am coping better now, honestly it is still a learning process,” Marcus responded pensively.

“I wish to inspire and send the message that anyone can achieve anything as long as you work hard for it.”
Marcus smiling and posing with one other female volunteer and 3 children
Marcus joined other youths on a volunteering trip to Chiangmai, Thailand

Marcus proved his mettle when he rose above the challenges to excel academically. He was a 5-pointer for the GCE N-Levels and attained an impressive GPA score of 3.96/4.00 for his diploma studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Despite his eye condition leading to eye strain from prolonged hours at lectures and computer use, Marcus proactively contributes to seminar discussions and dedicates himself to extensive self-guided learning. He joined other youths on a volunteering trip organised by the National Youth Council to Chiangmai, Thailand. Whilst there, he helped to build a kitchen area for a kindergarten, and also engaged the children in English lessons, drawings and origami making. 

National team

Outside of school, Marcus finds fulfilment in dragon boat racing, a sport in which he competes at the national level. His aptitude and passion for the sport have taken him to the recent Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Marcus hopes to contribute and advocate for the disability community, underscoring the belief that with determination and focus, there are no limits to what we can achieve.

Every setback, every failure, is an ingredient to a greater success story.
Marcus holding a mic and sharing a presentation at the awards ceremony

Marcus is a final-year accountancy undergraduate at the Nanyang Technological University and has made it to the Dean’s List with a cumulative GPA of 4.82/5.00.

On receiving the Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation Scholarship, Marcus said: “I am very thankful as it relieves a lot of financial burdens of my family. I also feel a sense of fulfilment as this scholarship is also a kind of recognition of my ability to contribute to society.”

With an extensive interest in audit and assurance services, as well as areas relating to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), Marcus hopes to join one of the Big Four accounting firms after graduation.

“I hope to progress to a position where I can influence and contribute to the formulation of key ESG policies for persons with visual impairments,” he said. Another way in which Marcus hopes to contribute is to raise awareness to the needs and capabilities of individuals with vision loss and advocating for greater accessibility and inclusivity at workplace and in schools.

Here are highlights from the Scholarship presentation ceremony held on 10 October 2023.

The APB Foundation Scholarship for Persons with Disabilities is a bond-free scholarship. It supports students with physical, sensory or developmental disabilities in their university studies at six local institutions with no restrictions in the discipline of studies. It is also the only pan-disability scholarship in Singapore. Since its launch in 2004, the APB Foundation has committed over $2.2 million to the programme and has since awarded 59 scholarships. Find out more at https://www.spd.org.sg/scholarships/.

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