Kheng Mong sat for his A-level examinations three times so that he could fulfil his parents’ wish to have a university graduate among their four sons.

It was an arduous task right from the start as he retook his exams while still serving his National Service. When he was finally accepted into the National University of Singapore to read biology and zoology, his struggles did not end. To fund his university fees, he had to take a bank loan and give tuition, leaving him with hardly any leisure time.

Tragedy struck when he was preparing for his third-year final exams — his father died after suffering a heart attack. Still, Kheng Mong did not lose focus, aceing his exams to be offered a place in the honours programme.

Tragedy struck again a few months before his exams — his mother was diagnosed with end-stage lung cancer. Besides preparing for his exams, he had to take care of her.

Sadly, she died after he graduated. But Kheng Mong persevered, saving enough money to pay off his loan and further his education, graduating in 2002 with a Master of Science (e-Business). Unfortunately, he still did not have an easy time: He had graduated at the height of the dot.com bust, and remained unemployed for seven months.

The ever-optimistic Kheng Mong said: “The key thing is to never give up. There will be challenges along the way but they are meant to be overcome.” Testament to his belief, Kheng Mong now owns Mind Kinesis Management International LLP, a training company which provides life-skill courses for children and adults.