By Nathaniel Tok | 19 Dec 2024
Life as an Overseas Singaporean
My family relocated from Singapore to Shanghai when I was just one. After six years in Shanghai, we relocated to Redmond, Washington, where I’ve lived ever since.
While I’ve grown to appreciate American food (chicken burgers are a favorite!) I’m lucky that Seattle is a cosmopolitan city. Living near several Chinese restaurants has made it easy to satisfy my cravings for asian cuisine. Still, I miss the infectious energy of the hustle and bustle of Singaporean hawker centers—it’s truly one of a kind.
Washington is stunningly beautiful, located within the vibrant Pacific Northwest. My favorite season is autumn, when the trees burst into rich reds, oranges, and golds. Mixed with the lush greens of the evergreen trees, there is a certain peacefulness in the autumn months that feels almost surreal.
Straddling Singaporean, Chinese and American cultures
I’ve often grappled with understanding my cultural identity, growing up with American, Chinese, and Singaporean roots. While I don’t see myself as distinctly American or Singaporean, I’ve come to appreciate how both cultures have shaped my life. I still hold onto Singaporean traditions, yet I speak with an American accent and feel at home among my American friends.
The United States is where I’ve learned to be confident in my passion for the English language and where I found a community of writers and mentors. On the other hand, Singapore represents familiarity and family: being Singaporean is a part of who I am. At the same time, I don’t fully identify as Singaporean having spent so many years overseas. I’m embracing the idea that home is where my heart lies: both in the United States and in Singapore.
Nevertheless, I still feel a stronger cultural connection to Singapore. When it comes to food, for instance, I’d choose Singaporean cuisine every time. I’m always on the lookout for Singaporean restaurants and Singaporean food. Recently, my family and I discovered a small chicken rice restaurant near Redmond called “A Ma Chicken Rice” – you can find us there every Saturday afternoon!
Many of the traditions I hold dear, such as Chinese New Year visitations and reunion dinners, are also deeply rooted in Singaporean culture. I also visit Singapore every year to catch up with friends and family, and watch each years’ National Day Parade on YouTube livestream.
The beginnings of Future Scholar Foundation
I first met my co-founder, Siddarth, in middle school. In the 8th grade, we observed an interesting trend: the highest Geometry scorers in our grade were also students who competed through our school’s math Olympiad team. That observation would become the core idea driving our founding of the Future Scholar Foundation.
In high school, the trend persisted. I saw a strong emphasis on STEM in my Redmond community, home to Microsoft, but little recognition of writing as a tool for creativity and self-expression. After many late-night calls and countless texts, Siddarth and I launched monthly writing competitions to ignite interest, channeling Redmond’s competitive spirit and offering financial incentives to inspire young writers.
This grew to become the Future Scholar Foundation (FSF). The name reflects our belief that true scholarship represents a well-rounded education, where the humanities are studied and valued just as much as their STEM counterparts.
Initially, it was challenging to spread the word about our Foundation in our Redmond community. It was only because of our community’s kindness and support, like that of my former teacher, Denise Ensign, from Kumon of Redmond, Duc Duong from the Redmond library, and Claire Bryan from The Seattle Times, that we were able to grow the foundation in its nascent stage.
Once we gained momentum, we were able to expand the scope of the foundation’s operations, incorporating free feedback and coaching programs for our writers. Eventually, we introduced several experienced guest judges to complement our judging process, too.
One parent of a Future Scholar Foundation writer shared how her sixth grade daughter improved her writing ability and gained confidence to develop her interest in writing short stories after submitting to several FSF competitions and engaging in our one-on-one coaching calls. This was hugely inspiring to me.
Since then, the Future Scholar Foundation has received over 1,500 submissions from writers in over 30 US States and 25 countries, including Singapore. We’ve worked with professionals from Stanford, Yale, and The New York Times, and have partnered with organizations like Kumon, NewPages and the Institute for Excellence in Writing.
It was very exciting to see schools in Georgia, Virginia, and New York use our competitions to complement their English curriculums. And, through our feedback, coaching, and mentorship programs, it’s been incredibly gratifying to watch each student’s writing improve with every monthly submission.
We hope to expand the services we offer beyond written feedback, coaching calls, and occasional workshops. By June 2025, the Future Scholar Foundation team and I plan to host a live series breaking down the secrets behind writing powerful short stories. While we’ve already worked with students in Singapore, we’re eager to support even more Singaporean students in harnessing the power of writing to drive meaningful change in their lives and communities.
Prospective Future Scholars and sponsors can contact the team through our email address: futurescholarfoundation@gmail.com. We couldn’t be more excited to meet new Future Scholars and partner with sponsors to enhance our mission of facilitating capability through competition.
Final word: Connecting to other Singaporeans in Seattle
If you’re a fellow Singaporean looking for community in Seattle, there are several platforms through Discord and WhatsApp one can join to connect with fellow Singaporean students in the states. Specifically, I’m in a WhatsApp group called Singaporeans in Seattle, through which I trade restaurant recommendations and stay updated on the latest happenings in Singapore.
Meet Nathaniel
Nathaniel Tok, a senior at Redmond High School in Washington, founded the Future Scholar Foundation, a nonprofit inspiring students to use writing to impact their lives and communities. His work appears in Beyond Words Magazine, The Bangalore Review, Gemini Magazine, and others.
Connect with him here.
