Striking Goals

Bowler Jayan Kuay’s discipline and hard work added up to something rare: a perfect Grade Point Average (GPA). Jayan recently graduated from the Sports School-Ngee Ann Polytechnic Diploma in Business Studies Programme with a Diploma with Merit and several awards to his name, namely the Lee Wee Nam Silver Medal & Prize and the Trans Eurokars (Mazda) Prize for most outstanding academic performance in the Entrepreneurship Management Option.

The bowler joined Sports School in Secondary 1 after gaining an interest in bowling after a casual game with his father when he was seven years old. From then on, he would ask his father to bring him bowling every week. As his primary school offered bowling as a co-curricular activity, he continued playing the sport more competitively. His visit to Sports School’s Open house when he was in Primary 5 drew him to the opportunity to learn from the best, train in an high performance environment and move closer towards his dream of representing Singapore one day.

He chose to embark on the post-secondary programme with Sports School and Ngee Ann Polytechnic because he wanted to continue pursuing high performance sport while receiving a strong academic foundation, and was deeply interested in pursuing entrepreneurship.

Jayan’s days were tightly structured but never dull. Early mornings often began with strength conditioning or lane practice, where he worked on consistency — adjusting his approach step by step, repeating drills until muscle memory took over. By afternoon, he was in lecture halls, switching gears into business frameworks, marketing theories, and entrepreneurship case studies.

The athlete-friendly structure of the diploma programme enabled Jayan to cope with the demands of sports and studies. He shared, “The programme is thoughtfully designed to help student-athletes excel both in their sport and academics. It provides the flexibility we need to manage demanding training schedules, while still ensuring that we receive a meaningful and hands-on learning experience.

The programme also allowed me to continue training and competing at a high level, including overseas tournaments, without compromising my studies. With the support of my lecturers, who were always ready to help me catch up, I was able to stay on track academically while pursuing my sporting commitments. Overall, it has been instrumental in helping me grow as both an athlete and a student.”

As part of the diploma programme, he also completed a six-month internship with Trans Eurokars – Mazda Singapore as a Marketing Intern, during which he gained a wide range of real-world experience. His responsibilities included supporting the planning and execution of Mazda Singapore’s CRM and branding events to enhance customer experience journeys, as well as contributing to digital advertising efforts through ad hoc marketing collateral and social media content creation.

“What stood out most during my internship was learning how to collaborate effectively with colleagues across different departments, navigate real-time challenges, and witness the direct impact of our campaigns on customer engagement. The internship also strengthened my adaptability, communication skills, and confidence in working within a fast-paced professional environment,” he shared on his experience.

While balancing sport and studies can be challenging, especially when travelling overseas, he believes his curiosity is a major factor behind his success. “I have always been genuinely interested in understanding how things work, especially in the field of business. This meant constantly asking questions, whether during or after class, and seeking to learn beyond the curriculum. Coupled with a strong passion for learning, this helped me stay engaged and develop a deeper understanding throughout my journey,” he shared.

According to him, goal-setting, collaboration, time management and consistency contributed to his excellence in studies and sports.

With a perfect diploma grade point average and awards under his belt, Jayan plans to pursue an undergraduate degree in Business Management at Singapore Management University under the SMU Merit Scholarship Programme.

In bowling, Jayan has also been achieving breakthroughs. One of his biggest milestones was achieving his first major podium finish at the 10th National Youth Championships in November last year. As a member of Singapore National Development Squad, he hopes to continue developing under the guidance of Sports School coaches as he believes that the coaches and developmental system in the school will continue to play an important role in helping him progress towards the next stage of the national programme while balancing his academic commitments.

Footballer Kegan Phang Jun’s journey in Sports School has been shaped by discipline and personal growth.

His football journey began at around seven years old in the simplest way possible — by joining his neighbours downstairs for a casual game of football.

“My neighbours were playing football downstairs, and I just joined them,” he recalled. “I really enjoyed dribbling the ball for some reason. I remember annoying everyone by chasing the ball everywhere it went. It was just super enjoyable to me.”

Like many young footballers, his love for the game started with pure passion rather than polished techniques. “I really liked kicking the ball with all my strength,” he shared. “No technique at all, just pure power.” That innocent joy eventually evolved into something more serious after he signed up for a football interest group near his home. From there, his football journey truly began.

He eventually joined Warriors FC, where he developed the technical foundations and competitive mindset needed to succeed at a higher level. Years of hard work eventually opened the door to professional football with BG Tampines Rovers FC, where he continues to grow both on and off the pitch.

Among the milestones in his career so far, one moment stands above the rest: competing in the AFC Champions League 2 against Thai giants Bangkok United and BG Pathum United.

“Being able to play at that level and against top-class Thai teams was such a surreal feeling,” he shared. “It’s a small milestone in my career, but it reminds me to keep working harder so I can experience even more moments like that.”

When Kegan entered Secondary 1, he joined Singapore Sports School with a clear ambition: to sharpen his footballing abilities and pursue the sport at a higher level. Drawn by the school’s structured curriculum and athlete-focused environment, he saw it as the perfect place to sharpen his footballing abilities and pursue the sport at a higher level.

“What attracted me most was the curriculum and schedule,” he explained. “You board in school, train in the morning, attend classes, train again in the afternoon, and even have supervised study sessions in the evening. Meals and nutrition are all provided too.”

To Kegan, the experience mirrored the lifestyle of a professional athlete. “The environment really reflected what a true student-athlete experience should look like,” he said.

Beyond improving his football skills, Sports School also helped him develop discipline, accountability, and the ability to balance academics with competitive sport. While he admits he was once naïve and carefree as a young boy, the experience helped him mature over time and grow into a more focused and responsible individual. Kegan eventually learnt that success required discipline in both areas.

He continued his post-secondary studies through the through-train Diploma in Business programme jointly offered with Republic Polytechnic. He had the opportunity to complete a six-month internship at OCBC Bank as a Commercial Banking Intern. He graduated in May 2026 with a good Grade Point Average.

During his diploma studies, he developed a strict system to manage his responsibilities. There was also a practical reason behind his discipline. “If I didn’t finish my school work, things like detention would come in, and then I’d miss training,” he explained.

He appreciated the flexibility of the academic schedule, personalised learning environment and small class size, which enabled him to continue pursuing football without compromising his studies. Close communication due to small class sizes and the lecturers' willingness to support student-athletes helped Kegan balance sport and studies, especially when travelling overseas for sporting commitments.

Despite already achieving significant milestones, Kegan believes his journey is only beginning. “My goal is to play football for as long as I can and see how far I’m able to go,” he said. “My end goal is definitely to represent the Singapore Men’s National Team.”

Academically, he also continues to strive for growth. Having already applied to the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Management University (SMU), he hopes to pursue a degree in business.

Reflecting on his personal experiences, Kegan shared that his message to student-athletes would be: “Everyone grows at their own timing. Set your SMART goals, stay consistent, trust the process, and good things will come naturally.”