The Education That Changes Lives
Introduction: When Learning Becomes a Lifeline
Some time ago, I received a message on LinkedIn:
“Hi Daniel, I’m Flonna. After SPM, I spent 3 months working at Stellar. That experience left a huge impact on me. I’m now at Johns Hopkins University, under the Bloomberg Distinguished Professorship program. As part of the program, we’re encouraged to have ‘curiosity conversations’, informal chats with people whose work inspires us. I would love to speak with you.”
We met face to face.
Her boldness reminded me of the kind of people I hope my children become: fearless, purpose-driven, unapologetically curious. What followed wasn’t just a casual conversation. It became a moment of reflection, about education, purpose, and what it really means to shape lives.
The Contrast Between Systems: Mechanism vs Meaning
Flonna shared how, when she worked part-time at Stellar after SPM, she noticed how our students were encouraged to think beyond textbooks. Activities like cooking classes and fairy tale dramas sparked imagination. It was vibrant. Alive. By contrast, when she tutored in the U.S., students were required to log into Khan Academy every day. It felt mechanical. Even their free time seemed like a checkbox.
I resonated deeply with her observations. When I was tutoring in Melbourne, the students were confident and articulate. But I noticed something else: they seemed to have freedom without boundaries. Coming from Malaysia, where values like 尊师重道 (respecting teachers and elders) are embedded in our culture, I saw how our version of education instills humility. In Melbourne, freedom sometimes slipped into indulgence. I started asking myself: does unbounded freedom actually help us reach our potential, or does it dilute it?
We agreed: education must find a middle ground. A global mindset anchored in local soul. You can’t just copy-paste what works elsewhere and expect it to work here. It has to be adapted. Contextual. Purposeful.
From Accounting to Education: When Purpose Finds You
Flonna asked me how I went from accounting to education to becoming an edupreneur.
It’s a long story. And honestly, my answer has evolved over the years.
Growing up, my mother encouraged me to pursue accounting. She said it was a stable, high-paying career. My sister was already an accountant in Singapore. The path was clear. I was good at it. University was smooth. I majored in accounting and banking & finance. I understood concepts easily. I even tutored peers.
But one summer, I interned at an accounting firm. It wasn’t difficult. But it was soul-deadening. It didn’t light anything in me.
At the same time, I had this side dream. I wanted to buy a DSLR camera without asking my parents. A friend said, “Why not tutor instead of working at McDonald’s?” That led me to my first student, a boy in Shah Alam who had lost his leg in an accident and missed eight months of school. His mother didn’t tell me beforehand. She said, “If I did, you wouldn’t have come.”
He didn’t want me there. He shut down. But I stayed. Week after week. Slowly, he opened up. One day, he said, “Brother, I’ll study this subject for you.”
That moment lit something in me. It changed everything.
After university, I still sent out resumes for accounting jobs. But I kept getting missed calls from an unknown number. It turned out to be Summer College in Johor Bahru. Their lecturer had resigned suddenly. They asked if I could teach.
When I asked why they chose me, the boss said, “We don’t call people for no reason.”
That’s how my journey in education began.
The Hong Kong GPS and the Slow Death
Flonna asked how I knew accounting wasn’t for me despite being good at it.
I told her it’s like using GPS in Hong Kong. The tall buildings block the signal. You think you’re heading the right way, then realize you’re off course. Accounting was like that. I could do it, but it drained me.
Teaching, on the other hand, wasn’t easy. I wasn’t naturally charismatic. But I came alive when I saw students grow. It was uncomfortable, but it felt meaningful.
That’s how I define purpose: something that energizes you, even when it’s hard. Like public speaking. I dread it. But I do it. Because it serves a bigger mission.
The Lifeline: Healing Through Story
Over time, I developed a tool to help others discover their purpose. I call it the Lifeline Exercise.
You list the major events of your life. Mark each from -10 (traumatic) to +10 (joyful). You don’t judge. You reflect.
For some, failing an exam is a -10. For others, it’s barely a -3. For me, getting married was a +10. The point is not comparison. It’s honesty.
I’ve seen people cry while doing this. Because they finally saw their story. They saw patterns. They found healing.
We don’t just “be” ourselves. We become who we’re called to be.
Can Impact and Profit Coexist?
Flonna asked a deep question: How do we run a school with purpose but still survive financially?
At Stellar, we use a framework I call The Three P&Ls:
- Profit & Loss: We’re near Singapore. Talent flows. To keep good people, we must pay them well. Without profit, there is no mission.
- Passion & Love: This defines our culture. We aren’t just educating minds. We’re shaping lives.
- Purpose & Life: This is why we exist. To impact generations.
During MCO, government SOPs were unclear. So, I initiated a WhatsApp group with 70 international schools across Malaysia. We aligned, collaborated, and helped public schools where we could. We even connected a tech company to streamline attendance for the education department, pro bono.
That’s purpose at work.
Holding the Line: Integrity and Boundaries
We once had a landlord offer us a prime property, if we were willing to “settle” certain authorities with bribes. We walked away.
When parents complained that our student visa processing took three months instead of two weeks like other schools, we said, “We do things transparently. If that’s too slow for you, we understand.”
Integrity isn’t something we negotiate.
Our STELLAR Culture is clear:
- Servant Leadership
- Transformational Innovation
- Empowered, Not Entitled
- Live Gratefully
- Love Truth, Life, and People
- Appreciativeness, Not Criticism
- Resilience Leads to Results
Muting the Noise: A Lesson on Boundaries
I told Flonna: Boundaries are everywhere. Even on WhatsApp.
You can mute, archive, or block. It’s the same in life.
Mute distractions. Archive non-essentials. Block what crosses your line.
I learned this when my eSIM failed in Singapore. For a day, I was unreachable. It was strangely liberating. Silence can be powerful.
Rekindling a Spark: Flonna’s Takeaways
She told me her three takeaways:
- Core Values Matter: Even as life changes, your values anchor you.
- Define Boundaries: Context matters. Know what you won’t compromise.
- Stay Grounded. Dream Big: Don’t let imposter syndrome or comparison shrink your ambition.
It moved me to hear that. Because these are the very truths I want my children to grow into.
Why She Reached Out
Flonna told me she followed my posts on LinkedIn. That my reflections on values, impact, and boundaries resonated. That she and her friends often have deep late-night talks about purpose.
She wanted answers. Or at least, a framework to wrestle with the questions.
I told her: We don’t have all the answers. But we have tools: Purposebility, The Lifeline, etc.
We want to build more than workshops. We want to build people.
She shared that her time at Stellar healed her. After the stress of SPM, those three months gave her clarity. The cooking classes, the dramas, the relationships, they reminded her of who she wanted to become.
The Reverse That Redefines It All
Being good at something doesn’t mean you’re called to it. And being afraid of something doesn’t mean you’re not.
Purpose isn’t about comfort. It’s about conviction.
The best education doesn’t just prepare you for a job. It prepares you to live a life of meaning.
So don’t wait for a perfect path.
Walk the one that calls you. And build it as you go.
