From prison to university: This ex-offender proves it’s never too late for a fresh start
July 14, 2025
Mason Andre Lim has walked a long road of redemption – one paved with determination, second chances and the will to rebuild his life.
At 36, he is graduating from the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences with a Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours, majoring in Communications and New Media (CNM) – a milestone that marks not just academic achievement, but a powerful personal turnaround.
With his driven and enterprising outlook, it is hard to tell that Mason had drifted off course in his early 20s, grappling with academic pressures, emotional setbacks, and decisions that would eventually derail his life.
However, Mason held on to slivers of hope – buoyed by love and support from his mother – and eventually found his way back from a period marked by instability, depression and eventual incarceration.
Battling darkness and depression
Mason’s journey was fraught with early setbacks. He dropped out of Victoria Junior College at 17 and left Temasek Polytechnic midway through his final year. He was by then hooked on weed – having started “smoking socially” at gatherings – and lured by the profits from hosting poker games in a rented apartment.
He fell into severe depression after a friend failed to repay a large sum of money. Devastated, he retreated to Thailand and spent months playing video games as well as taking drugs to stave off the emptiness.
His addiction did not stop even after he returned to Singapore. “My mental state was completely haywire,” said Mason, recalling those dark times when he was wracked by depression and the sinking feeling that he had let his family down.
At 24, the age many consider to be their physical prime, Mason struggled to even climb a flight of stairs and was dependent on opioids and other debilitating drugs to make it through the day. Physically and mentally, he was at an all-time low.
Not long after, the Central Narcotics Bureau came knocking on his door and Mason was sentenced to five years in jail on drug-related charges.
An unexpected lifeline and path to redemption
Ironically, his years in Tanah Merah Prison were the happiest part of his 20s, Mason said. Living by the motto “every day spent here is another day closer to home”, he saw prison time as an opportunity rather than just punishment.
“I remember my mother telling me when I was at my lowest point, that ‘Mummy will never give up on you’. That cut through a lot of the pain I was feeling and made me want to turn my life around,” Mason recounted.
Enrolling in prison school, he found the structured environment a boon for his studies. “There’s no social media, there’s no TV, there’s nothing else I can do. I just sat in front of class and paid attention and did my homework,” he said.
The laser focus paid off. In 2021, Mason completed his A levels, becoming Prison School’s top student with five As and one B. This caught the attention of Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim, then-Minister of State for Home Affairs, during a visit to meet the graduating cohort.
When Assoc Prof Faishal asked about his plans, Mason shared that he would like to pursue further studies. Given his good conduct and rehabilitation progress, Mason was assessed by the Singapore Prison Service to be suitable to be emplaced on a community-based programme, where he served the tail-end of his sentence in the community. He was emplaced in the community programme for a period of three months. In addition, Mason received the Yellow Ribbon Fund STAR (Skills Training Assistance to Restart) Bursary, which fully covered his university tuition fees.
Mason’s acceptance into NUS signalled a fresh start for him after prison. He was eager not to let his past define him.
Slightly apprehensive at being a fresh undergraduate at 32 – almost 10 years older than his peers – Mason kept mostly to himself, worried about the age gap and how readily his peers would accept him because of his past.
However, most of his fears were unfounded. “Everybody took (my past) quite coolly. I think Gen Zs don’t really bother about such stuff,” he quipped.
Determined to make up for his late start in adulting, Mason grew adept at juggling multiple commitments. To earn an income as he baulked at the thought of relying on his parents for pocket money, he sold high-end vacuum cleaners in between tutorials – something he excelled at owing to his knack for persuasion.
His academic work in the NUS CNM Department further honed his communication and rhetorical skills and taught him to sharpen his persuasive powers.
A key highlight for Mason was the Consulting as a Communication and Career Skill course by CNM Adjunct Associate Professor, Dr Alan Tea. His clear articulation and deep insights into the nuances of corporate language in Business-to-Business (B2B) versus Business-to-Consumer (B2C) sales were an eye-opener. The course not only sharpened his consulting skills but also provided knowledge he could directly apply to his own sales work. Inspired by the experience, Mason dedicated his thesis to examining the differences in consulting strategies and approaches between B2B and B2C contexts, under Dr Tea’s guidance.
Dr Jinna Tay’s media course, which delved into the complex disruptions of Singapore’s national identities, media texts and institutions through the media production and policies that shape them, and included an industry visit to Mediacorp, was also an experience he deeply relished.
While some of his peers fretted over their grades, Mason was largely unfazed by university. “I’ve been through severe depression, I’ve been through jail, so nothing really gets to me that much,” he said, matter-of-factly.
He also found time to captain and manage an adult football team, volunteer at Meet-the-People sessions and elderly home visits in the Cheng San neighbourhood, and take travel breaks.
“So, when people tell me they don’t have time to do anything, I cannot relate,” he said.
Proof of what’s possible
A graduation scroll marks not just an academic achievement, but also a personal milestone.
“I’ve quit junior college, I’ve quit polytechnic, so I told myself, I’m going to finish this, no matter what. I’m going to prove to people I can complete all these things at once,” said Mason, who is grateful to his family, girlfriend, and professors like Dr Tea and Dr Tay for motivating him.
“I feel the greatest sense of achievement when I tell people I’ve managed to complete university while juggling work.”
Having obtained his Real Estate Salesperson certification during his four years in NUS, Mason plans to become a property agent and also harbours dreams of launching his own premium streetwear brand one day.
In the meantime, he is in a good mental space and is busy paying it forward. He delivers talks at the prison school and recently shared his experiences at the Singapore Boys’ Home – an arrangement by the NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates.
Mason’s journey from the depths of addiction to the peaks of academic and personal fulfilment is proof that with resilience, resolve, and the right support, transformation is possible at any stage of life.
“It really just boils down to your mindset and how much you really want something,” he said.