You can have your cake and eat it too; these individuals are the living proof of it.
Entertainers don’t exactly need a degree in their line of work, but these celebrities didn’t let that get in the way of them completing a degree.
While some of them were discovered through talent contests while in university, others managed to earn their certificates while managing an already blossoming career.
Other celebrities were also able to excel in both fields.
Here we take a look at some who managed to accomplish it all.
Rui En
She graduated with a Bachelor of Business from NTU, specialising in Banking and Finance.
Source: Asiaone
Categorised in asiaone.com, EN, NTU.
NTU alumni scored at this year’s Star Awards. Business graduate Rui En got the Best Actress nod for her role in the Channel 8 police drama Unriddle 2. She also bagged a Top 10 Most Popular Artistes trophy, alongside two other NTU alumni – actress Joanne Peh and television host Lee Teng.
Source: Hey!
Categorised in EN, HEY!, NTU, Star Awards, Star Awards 2013, Unriddle 2 最ç«ææ¡£ 2.
By Christopher Ong
NTU alumna Rui En (left) and Xiang Yun
Adding a touch of stardust to our garden campus in December were artistes Rui En, Xiang Yun, Elvin Ng and Tay Ping Hui, who were here to film the latest MediaCorp blockbuster Unriddle 2.
Nanyang Business School graduate Rui En found time to browse a copy of HEY!. “This is actually quite a step forward and I think it looks really, really cool,†she said of the magazine.
Click here for more photos!
#Unriddle 2 最ç«ææ¡£ II debuts 5 March 2012 9pm on Channel 8.
Source: Hey!
Categorised in EN, HEY!, NTU, Unriddle 2 最ç«ææ¡£ 2.
Singer-actress Rui En looks back at her days as an undergraduate at the Nanyang Business School
By Christopher Ong
Rui En was at the iconic School of Art, Design & Media building to shoot the MediaCorp series, The In-Laws. She took time out of her hectic filming schedule to grant Hey! this interview.
She shot to fame as the iconic “running girl†in a SingTel hi!Card advertisement, and real life almost mirrored reel life for actress Rui En given that she came close to running away from school during her time as an undergraduate.
Indeed, if not for the help she received from some “angels†in her life, the Nanyang Business School Class of 2004 alumnus may perhaps not have graduated from NTU with a Bachelor of Business degree.
Back then, on the cusp of making the breakthrough she needed in the hugely-competitive media industry, she found it hard to juggle her work and studies. To top it off, she had to make regular trips to Taiwan to produce her debut music album, Rui Σn vol. 01.
All this led to her wanting to throw in the towel, studies-wise. Says the 30-year-old: “I’ll be really honest, there were times when I wanted to give up but I was persuaded not to by some angels in my life. I am so glad I persisted.â€
“I guess it was the fact that I had already started. After a while, I figured I had to finish it no matter how tough it was.”
Perhaps this line sums up Rui En’s character as a fighter. In an interview she gave in 2008, she had talked about her tumultuous growing-up years: her parents divorced when she was 17, and she also smoked and drank from a young age to look “cool” and fit in. Asked why she agreed to such a soul-baring interview, she had said:”I am hoping that kids who read this might realise that no matter how bad your family situation is, you have a choice not to be a victim.”
Back to the subject of school, she says that her last year in NTU was especially difficult because “I had to be in Taiwan a lot.”
Little wonder then that Rui En feels she owes a debt of gratitude to her final-year project group, whom she says helped her greatly. “If I were in their position then, I would have been quite mad. But they were so accommodating and understanding.”
“I really want to thank them for their help, and still feel very grateful towards them today.”
The one with the baseball cap
Rui En kept a low profile in university. One former lecturer, Assoc Prof Joan C Henderson, remembers her as being quiet in class, and also describes the star as “nearly always sporting a baseball cap”.
During the interview, she comes across as engaging and sincere. Maybe this is why the actress has over the years been consistently voted one of the Top 10 Favourite Female Artistes at the local Star Awards. At this year’s Awards, she went one better by clinching her first Best Actress award for her role in the Channel 8 drama With You.
Her achievements also saw her recognised by the university in 2007 when she became a recipient of the Nanyang Outstanding Young Alumni Award, something she feels both “surprised and grateful” about.
Still, Rui En says that just being able to do something she loves on a daily basis is “enough of a prize”.
So, what advice would she give NTU freshmen who want to pursue their passions, be it sports, community service or acting, while studying? She says:”I get a lot of comments like, ‘Oh, you are still in this line?'”
“But I would say that you shouldn’t bother about what people think. Have the courage to pursue your dreams and to go through the difficult times.”
Source: Hey!
Categorised in EN, HEY!, NTU, Rui ∑n vol. 01, Star Awards, Star Awards 2011, The In-Laws 麻婆斗妇, With You æˆ‘åœ¨ä½ å·¦å³.
Nanyang Outstanding Young Alumni Award Recipient (2007)
å—æ´‹æ°å‡ºé’å¹´æ ¡å‹å¥–获奖者
~Ms Lu Rui En å¢ç‘žæ©å°å§~
One of the most recognisable faces on the local entertainment scene, Ms Lu Rui En’s career as an artiste literally rose to meteoric heights in 2001 after she appeared in a popular SingTel hi!Card commercial as the iconic “running girl”. She was barely out of junior college then but managed to balance her burgeoning career with studying for a Bachelor of Business degree at the Nanyang Technological University till her graduation in 2004. To the industry experts at Artiste Networks, her potential was apparent from that very first advertisement. They signed her up and in 2002 she released her debut album. Featuring a variety of musical genres from Rock to R&B, it revealed a mature and powerful singing voice.
Starring in Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou’s music video, “Secret Code”, Rui En quickly moved to add acting to her list of pursuits. In the five years since, she has starred in over 10 MediaCorp drama series and won two Star Awards while continuing to perform at concerts for the Nanyang Technological University, Community Chest and the President’s Star Charity Shows. In 2005, her place in the public eye was cemented when she was chosen to sing the National Day song, “Reach Out for the Skies”. Asked to reflect on her career so far, the multi-talented beauty concluded that she loves both acting and singing. But with a track record like hers, it is anybody’s guess what she will surprise us with next.
Source: NTU
Categorised in NTU.
