The Tay Eng Soon Gold Medal was first presented at the 1995 Temasek Polytechnic Graduation Ceremony.

In 1994, the Tay Eng Soon Scholarship Fund was established in memory of the late Senior Minister of State for Education, Dr Tay Eng Soon, who played a pivotal role in the development of polytechnic and technical education. From the fund, a "Tay Eng Soon Gold Medal" is awarded annually to an outstanding graduate from each of the polytechnics who graduated from the Institute of Technical Education prior to his study in the polytechnic.

Having come from the EM3 stream in primary school, Ang Peng Hong was placed in the Normal Technical stream at Temasek Secondary School. There, he performed so well at the end of the year that he was offered a place in the Normal Academic class for secondary 2. Peng Hong rejected the offer.

"I know my pace and I need my space", explained the 22-year old who, underneath his mellow personality, is practical, responsible and determined. Upon completing his N levels, Peng Hong entered ITE Balestier and graduated with a National ITE Certificate (NITEC) in Electronics (Computer Technology). His Grade Point Average (GPA) at the end of the two years was a perfect 4 and he emerged as top student for his cohort, receiving the Academic Excellence Award for his outstanding achievement.

The youngest son of a retiree father and a part-time stall helper mother, Peng Hong's decision to study at TP was a most natural one. His two elder brothers are both graduates from Temasek Engineering School.

Poly life was a breeze for the self-assured young man as his interest in what he studied made learning fun. He was so competent that he even helped his classmates with their studies. A self-confessed introvert, Peng Hong would head straight home after school where he would indulge in his favourite pastime - multi-player online games. Yet, he was always obliging when called upon to take on extra responsibilities or help out in school events. For example, he was assigned to be a mentor to his juniors at a mini workshop, provided assistance in developing training aids for the course and designed an activity tool for first-year students.

Towards the end of his first year, Peng Hong was selected to represent TP in the World Skills Singapore competition in the Industrial Electronics category. Described by his lecturers as an individual who "sets high standards and produces very good quality work under minimum supervision", Peng Hong reached the quarter-final round and was ranked eleventh out of 42 participants.

Peng Hong is graduating with an impressive 22 distinctions and a GPA of 3.92. Truly, this young man who took the long route from EM3 has come far through sheer self-motivation and hard work. He has now set his sights on getting a job when he completes National Service so that he can earn enough money to finance himself through an engineering degree course at Nanyang Technological University.