Serving communities with a smile
Dorothy Teo
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Dorothy Teo is an undergraduate in the School of Accountancy at the Singapore Management University and a Quantedge Foundation Scholar since 2018. Dorothy intends to major in taxation and be a part of Singapore’s Accounting profession. She is passionate about travelling and wishes to visit Dubai one day.
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You were determined to enter SMU since you were in secondary school. Why? Tell us more about your journey to SMU.When I was 13 years old, I would frequently pass by SMU thinking how lucky I would be if I were one of the students sitting in the seminar rooms. When I was 16, my English teacher told me that I had the potential to be a university graduate as she saw how determined I was and how I would complete my assignments way before the deadlines. With her encouragement, I began to see myself going into SMU after Polytechnic. |
Imagine yourself in three years. What do you hope will be different about you then compared to now?When I graduate, I aspire to join one of the Big Four accounting firms as a tax associate. I had a stint as a Corporate Tax intern in Ernst & Young for 6 months where I was exposed to the intricacies of Singapore’s corporate taxation system and developed a strong interest in this specialisation.
I would like to hone my skills in managing workplace conflicts I hope to develop good communication skills, empathy, and mediation skills. As I am often eager to get work done as soon as possible, I am also working at cultivating greater patience when working in teams and being deliberate in pausing to reflect on what is really important. Work aside, I hope to develop my cooking skills because I want to cook good meals for my future family. I hope to be able to cook various Peranakan dishes, and maybe even learn how to make Din Tai Fung’s xiao long bao! 
Dorothy is a member of the Taiwan DIY Baking Club.
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You are actively involved in community service. Tell us how it all began and what motivates you to give back to the community.I have clocked approximately 80 hours of community service so far and it has been one of the best experiences of my entire SMU journey. Community service allows me to take a break from all the hustle and bustle of the classroom.
As part of the GIC Sparks and Smiles Award I received, I mentored a Primary 5 boy for five months. I would meet him weekly to help him with his school assignments and we would occasionally go for a swim to relax. I also worked closely with Beyond Social Services to ensure that his (and his family’s) various needs are met. This experience made me realise that everyone has their battles to fight, even at a very young age.
In addition, I have participated in missionary trips to Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia which have helped to put my personal challenges and difficulties in perspective. Looking at how the locals in Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia were happy with what little they had, I have learnt to be grateful for what I have.
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What advice and tips do you have for a new QF scholar on how to navigate the first semester in SMU?Don’t worry, you will eventually figure things out. I took one whole academic year to adapt to SMU’s culture, and that is okay because everyone has a different journey. Just because you are at Chapter 1 doesn’t mean that you will not reach your destination. |
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.