Gency Ong has been a diligent housewife for 17 years, taking care of her family before she re-joined the workforce in 2013 after obtaining a certificate in social service. Now at 56, she continues to study for her diploma in Community Services (Senior Services) and she intends to continue working in social service after getting the diploma.

Passion in Social Work

Her interest for social work and compassion she feels for others were heavily influenced by her late mother, who had always taught her to empathise with the needy and to help those who were unable to help themselves. "I remember helping a fellow classmate when I was in primary one. She was mentally challenged and had soiled herself in school. Although the rest of my classmates shunned her, I felt bad for her and assisted in cleaning her up. I knew then I wanted to dedicate my time to help others who cannot help themselves."

"I remember helping a fellow classmate when I was in primary one. She was mentally challenged and had soiled herself in school. Although the rest of my classmates shunned her, I felt bad for her and assisted in cleaning her up. I knew then I wanted to dedicate my time to help others who cannot help themselves."

Clear goal and making friends

Gency has a clear goal of what she want to achieve on her learning journey. She said: "It's never too late to learn or acquire new knowledge and skill, which can help to put us on the path to a happier life. I have made new friends along the way, who also shared my passion for learning and it made me a better person."

She picks up a group of friends when she started her learning journey a couple of years back. This group of friends share her passion for learning and they banded together as a learning support group. Her social circle has also since been expanded and she is happy to be part of the group.

Continue to learn

Gency believes in consistently upgrading herself and had previously attended a few short courses under National Silver Academy (NSA). She plans to serve the community after her studies and strongly believes that continuous learning is not only important for her personal growth but it will benefit everyone and the nation as a whole. She endeavours to continue in her pursuit of a meaningful life through volunteer work, lifelong learning and making new friends. To keep herself abreast of new opportunities available in the community, Gency likes to look through websites such as NSA and C3A.

Source: National Silver Academy. Reproduced with permission. View original source.