Harresh Krishnan (BSocSc 2017) is a big man. And within his physical frame is the very embodiment of perseverance, the perfect example of a ‘can-do’ attitude. That he was also a former national rugby player is testimony to the grit and gumption he carries both on and off the field, something he continues to do in a tech firm where he now works as a Recruiter.
But years ago, Harresh’s perseverance was put to the test in his journey to join SMU. His first application, submitted when he had just embarked on his national service, was for a place with the Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB). He was called in for an interview and while he thought that went well, the outcome was not as he had expected. “It was demoralising when I got the (rejection) letter… especially when no reason was given,” he said. He followed up with an appeal but this was to no avail.
The next year Harresh submitted his application again, this time to the School of Social Sciences (SOSS). He was called in for an interview again but, again, was eventually rejected. And like the first application the year before, his appeal was not successful. The following year the pattern repeated itself as “third time lucky” was just not on the cards. “I thought maybe I should give up on this dream,” Harresh recalls thinking when he accepted a place offered to him by another university, “but then when the next year came round one of my senior rugby teammates encouraged me to give it one more shot.” He had, by this time, almost completed his first year at the university. But thinking he had nothing to lose, Harresh made his fourth application to SMU.
Unfortunately, the outcome of the fourth application was no different from his previous three attempts. Staring at his fourth rejection letter, Harresh determined he had to do something different if he wanted a different outcome, prompted perhaps by the fact that this time the online appeal window had already closed. So he wrote to an appeal letter to two professors who interviewed him, Professor Tan Yoo Guan and Professor Chung Wai Keung, intimating details of why he should be given a chance to study at SMU. Neither Prof Tan nor Prof Chung responded to him personally, but not long after he received a reply from SMU Admissions that he had been accepted!
In his own words, Harresh had indeed undertaken "quite a journey” to get into SMU.
And he determined to make the most of his time to explore and participate in various projects. He was an active volunteer, participating twice in Project Crossroads, an Overseas Community Service Project (OCSP) to the Crossroads Foundation. In 2015, Harresh was part of “50for50”, a youth-led charity campaign in lieu of SG50, where 50 youths raised funds for 50 different charities. His charity of choice was the Singapore Disability Sports Council.
As an ex-national rugby player, Harresh naturally played with and served the SMU Rugby team. He held various positions that had him get involved with marketing, sponsorship and organising overseas tours before the season. Upon graduation in 2017, Harresh co-founded the SMU Rugby Alumni Group, which reaches out and stays connected with the current SMU rugby team through social events, training, and friendly matches. Harresh aims to give back in any way possible and is currently working on hosting a fireside chat for the benefit of the current team, with a panel made up of SMU Rugby Alumni Group members from various industries.
As a reflection on his journey to and through SMU, Harresh shares: “What you get out of what you do, is dependent on how much you put in. Never underestimate the power of perseverance!”
