Editorial Note

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Elaine Tan is 15, a Secondary 3 student, and one of the youngest voices on our editorial team. But her story carries a depth far beyond her years.

Elaine grew up without what many would call a childhood. Born from a relationship where she was never meant to exist, she endured abuse from her biological parents—treatment she later learned was not just wrong, but illegal. For a long time, she thought pain was normal. Silence was survival.

It was only in her early teens that Elaine found the courage to speak out.

With the help of a social worker, she was placed under the care of Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). At 14, she entered the foster system—an age many consider “too old,” “too difficult,” or “too rebellious.”

Elaine describes that period simply: waiting.

Waiting to be chosen.

Waiting to belong.

Waiting without daring to imagine a future.

Then came the fourth couple.

At first glance, Elaine admits she judged them the way teenagers do. The woman—stylish, confident, 41—felt familiar and safe. The man—45, short, bald, and “ugly” in her own words—seemed unremarkable.

She would later learn she was wrong.

They talked. They listened. And soon, they became her foster parents.

The man she once judged became the person she now calls Dad.

One day, almost casually, he shared how teenage magazines in the 1980s and 1990s had shaped his youth—how they gave him identity, curiosity, and hope. He mentioned how those magazines disappeared around 2019.

Then he said something that changed everything:

“You can do it too.”

What began as a passing remark turned into a real project—built under his edutech startup, with Elaine at the centre. For the first time in her life, someone didn’t just rescue her.

They believed in her.

“It is the first time in my life I felt like I have a dad who is a superman.”

— Elaine

Today, Elaine joins us as an Editorial Intern, helping to shape content that speaks honestly about youth mental wellness, identity, and growing up when life doesn’t follow the rules.

She writes not because she has all the answers—but because her voice matters.

And so does yours.