Singaporean Joel Tan rejected from local universities delivers speech at Harvard Medical School

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Singaporean rejected from local universities delivers speech at Harvard Medical School​

Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD graduate Joel Tan gave the student address at the HMS-Affiliated PhD Programs Hooding Ceremony on May 28, 2026.

Tan grew up in Singapore, where he was discouraged from studying biology and faced academic difficulties in high school. He left Singapore and was accepted to the University of Toronto, where he discovered research and found his path to Harvard.

"I am here because people opened doors for me," he said. "And I hope that we become the kind of people who will open doors for others."

In his remarks, Tan reflected on the role of community and open doors in scientific careers, arguing that talent is universal but opportunity is not, and that the graduates' most important work ahead may be ensuring that others get the chances they received.

 

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Singapore PAP government only opens the doors to foreigners like CECAs and Tiongs,