From community service to public service: Meet this year's President's Scholarship recipients

From supporting children with chronic illnesses to engaging migrant workers through community football, the two President's Scholarship recipients for 2026 share a common mission: to make a tangible difference.

Charlene Tan, 20, and Samuel Poh, 19, both turned their passion for volunteering and football respectively into a greater calling to serve the community.

Tan is Singapore's first female Singapore Police Force scholar to receive the President's Scholarship, while Poh is also a double scholarship recipient of both the President's Scholarship and the Singapore Armed Forces Scholarship.

Both of them received their scholarship awards from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at a ceremony held at The Istana on Friday (Aug 14).

About 70 guests were in attendance, including Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence, Chan Chun Sing and Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Goh Pei Ming.

The President's Scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding young men and women whom the Public Service Commission have assessed to have a strong ethos for public service, sound character and a dedication to improving the lives of Singaporeans. 

Tan, from Hwa Chong Institution, will be pursuing a degree in Forensic Science at Pennsylvania State University, while Poh will be reading Politics and International Relations in the London School of Economics and Political Science.  

In his speech, President Tharman emphasised that the scholarship reflects the trust that the recipients will be role models of both humility and excellence. 

"Being awarded the scholarship reflects your exceptional potential as a young Singaporean. But it does not set you up for life at the pinnacle or even for a career that assures that you reach the pinnacles of the public service."

Instead, he elaborated that the scholarship is an expectation that its recipients will work tirelessly with others to improve the lives of all Singaporeans.   

He added that the world has entered a period of deep global uncertainty and whether the Public Service responds to challenges with empathy, fairness and competence is critical to upholding trust in its social impact.

@asiaone Charlene Tan, the first female Singapore Police Force (SPF) scholar to be awarded the President’s Scholarship, shares with AsiaOne how her drive to fight injustice and her experiences volunteering since the age of 10 inspire her vision of service and duty. #sgnews #Singapore #Police #Becoming #Adulting #GrowingUp ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

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