ECDA Training Award Recipient - Miza Afiqah Binte Mahdi

I was first inspired to become a teacher when I saw how my secondary school teacher’s perseverance and care helped to transform the lives of some of my classmates. She saw their potential and never gave up on them. I also admired my aunt who made a mid-career switch to enter the teaching profession. I realised that it is never too late to take the first step towards pursuing one’s goals. Inspired by her leap of faith, I too decided to chase after my passion and go into the Early Childhood profession.

However, my journey to become an Early Childhood educator was a slightly longer one. As I was from the NITEC in Applied Food Science and later the Higher NITEC in Business Information System, I was advised that it was very challenging to enrol in the Diploma in Early Childhood at the Polytechnic because I did not have prior training in that area. Feeling dejected, this made me doubt myself and I was on the verge of forgoing Early Childhood as my career choice. Fortunately, I persevered and worked hard to score a GPA of above 3.0 at ITE and clinched an interview opportunity during the Early Admission Exercise for the Diploma in Early Childhood Studies at Temasek Polytechnic. My passion and love for young children and the sector must have helped convince the interview panel!

Being older than my classmates, I appreciate every opportunity that has been given to me to succeed in the Early Childhood sector. I took up the ECDA Training Award (Polytechnic) so that I can lighten the financial burden on my family and focus on my studies wholeheartedly. I look forward to the day I graduate and practise as an Early Childhood educator. I want to be one of the reasons why the young ones smile and are excited to go to school every day. When I have gained enough work experiences, I want to improve my professional knowledge and further my studies so that I can work towards my goal of creating an inclusive learning environment for all children and making a positive difference in their lives.