Never one to give up, Hizai found his motivation to keep going despite having failed his IT engineering course at ITE.
His perserverance led him to continue his studies in Infocomm Technology where he specialized in developing mobile applications, thriving in the hands-on learning environment.
Luckily for Hizai, the financial aid he received as an awardee of the Income OrangeAid Future Development Programme meant that he was able to focus more on doing well in school, without having to worry about his school fees or the money he needed to buy the materials required for his course.
Passionate about his course and eager to do well, the heavier workload has forced him to give up his part time job in order to devote more time to his studies. This has unfortunately led to him struggling to help pay for the household expenses he was contributing to help his mother, the sole breadwiner of their family of six, since his father's paralysis from stroke.
“I’m glad to have friends who will lend me their laptops and offer help. Even then, the A2 colour posters I need for my projects cost up to $16 each, so every little bit of help I get makes a difference,” he said.
When asked how he is coping with his tight financial situations, Hizai shrugged his shoulders and said: “If you can avoid getting something, just avoid it."
"If you know it’s expensive, don’t buy it. But if it is something you have to buy, then prioritise the payment for it before you do anything else."
Hizai is one of 400 Income OrangeAid’s Future Development Programme awardees in 2016. He receives financial aid, basic financial literacy training, personal career coaching, and access to internships.
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