Finding One’s Path: ProEd Alumni Share Their Journeys

Written by: Fung Lang Yu Kyron (3P2, 2026)

On 24 April 2026, two alumni were invited back to Hwa Chong to speak at the ProEd Assembly about their career journeys and how ProEd helped lay the foundation for who they are today. The two speakers were Tor Cheng Yao, a bespoke shoe artisan and founder of Fumu Shoes, and Ken Rui Hang, former Captain of the Hwa Chong Wushu Team and High School Council member, who is now an F-15 fighter pilot with the Singapore Armed Forces. During the talk, both alumni shared insightful stories and lessons from their experiences.

The talk began with Rui Hang sharing about his journey in Hwa Chong, including his experiences as Wushu Captain and as part of the High School Council. He emphasised the importance of leadership, not just in the workplace, but also in school life. He also spoke about the significance of relationships with friends and family. He shared that the friends he made in Hwa Chong are still the people he meets for dinner 20 years later, and described his family members as his “wingmen on the ground”, supporting him and providing emotional encouragement in his line of work.

Rui Hang also mentioned how Hwa Chong prepared him with moral values and ethics for his career. He proudly held up a long red label, explaining that it was the safety pin for a 100-pound bomb he had been tasked to drop on one of his missions. Through this example, he showed how responsibility is an essential life skill that Hwa Chong had equipped him with, and how important it remains in the workplace.

Next, Cheng Yao shared about his journey after graduating from Hwa Chong. He studied overseas at University College London, and many might have expected him to enter fields such as banking or law. Instead, he chose an unconventional path, travelling to Japan to learn the art of shoemaking before starting his bespoke shoe business, Fumu Shoes (https://fumu.sg). From his sharing, we learnt about the importance of courage and determination in standing out from the crowd, taking one’s own path, and chasing bold dreams.

In essence, the sharing by both alumni was deeply inspiring and gave me meaningful insight into the working world today.