HITTING THE HIGH NOTES

After attending a recruitment talk while studying at Singapore Polytechnic, Military Expert (ME) 1 Geraldine Tan was inspired by the servicewomen in the Singapore Armed Forces who had spoken about thriving in a male-dominated environment.

"What they shared made me feel like we are able to achieve what the guys can do too," said ME1 Tan. This inspiration, coupled with a penchant for the outdoors, led to her joining the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

In the year since she was posted to her current unit, 817 Squadron (SQN), she has been learning the ins-and-outs of maintaining F-15SG fighter jet engines to ensure that the planes are in tip-top condition.

When she's not fine-tuning aircraft engines, ME1 Tan spends her free time helping out at her family's kway chap stall, trying out hawker food around the island, or belting out her favourite tunes at karaoke sessions with friends.

"Singing is my favourite pastime and I can sing anywhere, but the KTV is the place where I can sing my heart out. I go about twice a month," she reveals. "My favourite singers are Show Lo and Jolin Tsai because their songs are really relatable to me."