Nicholas Tan graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Bachelor of Arts in English, and completed his Masters in Modern Literature and Culture at the University of York (UK). He also obtained his Post Graduate Diploma in Education at the National Institute of Education. He has had various teaching experiences, from preparing students for the GCE O- and A-levels, to spending 5 years at an IP school, where he found it most satisfying to work on talent development and student mentoring. Some of his most fulfilling experiences have been in mentoring student groups in various capacities, whether to develop research proposals in literary studies, or engaging in intense creative problem solving at the Odyssey of the Mind. He has enjoyed the opportunity to work with motivated and talented individuals, and to see their growth and development as they encounter problems and challenges to gradually unpick and hopefully revel in. He believes that it is vital for students to find and develop their interests, and believes that SOTA is a place where they can do so in a safe and supportive environment.
In his spare time, Nicholas enjoys challenging new food frontiers, consuming and critiquing Japanese animation, and aspires to eventually lead a life more grounded and connected to rural nature.