A Dream Deferred, Not Denied: Belle Koh Han Lyn’s Journey to SMU Law as a Dato’ Kho Hui Meng Scholar

“I will always remember Dato Kho’s impact on my life, especially the values and stories he imparted to me. The scholarship has brought a lot of colour and adventure into my life, and I appreciate all the experiences Dato Kho has exposed us to.” 

Belle Koh Han Lyn always knew she wanted to be a lawyer — a dream she's held since the age of six. Now a first-year Bachelor of Laws student at SMU, she has finally turned that dream into reality. However, the path to law school was far from straightforward. Severe health issues disrupted her education along the way, throwing her journey off course in ways she never anticipated. 

Back when she was younger, Belle used to be a national-level athlete, until a sports injury at the age of fourteen left her with severe back pain and migraines. Ignoring the growing pain from her back and her leg, Belle was determined to keep up with her training and continued to chase her targets. While she eventually chose to step away from the sport, the pain never subsided and only grew more frequent.  

“When I was sixteen, they occurred several times a week, lasting six hours or more. The pain was so severe it felt as if my head was being split in half. I also experienced nausea, vomiting, and vision loss,” she recounted.  

When the Junior College she was set to enter under the IP Programme could not admit her due to gaps in her transcript, she had to reconsider her educational path. She ultimately decided to continue her education online in the U.S. system to better manage her recovery, but this choice would set her back two years. 

“I tried to adopt a healthy mindset towards adversity. I have often been described as resilient, but there really was no option otherwise. My dad once told me that I could not begrudge life for not being perfect because that was never the deal to begin with. He was right, and this made me acutely aware of the privileges I had,” she reflected. Looking back, Belle has no regrets. The twists and turns in her educational journey ultimately gave her the time she needed to manage her health, and while the process was frustrating, she was overjoyed when her migraines gradually reduced and eventually disappeared after two years. With her health recovering and her elder brother enrolling in SMU Law around the same time, Belle set her sights on the same path. 

“When we were children, we made a pact to enter law school together. My brother indulged me by letting me borrow his papers and listen to law discussions at the dinner table, and he explained the law to me when I occasionally came across points I did not understand in my reading material.”   

Today, Belle is a proud recipient of the prestigious Dato' Kho Hui Meng Scholarship and is grateful to have the cost of her university education supported by a generous donor. Established in 2019, by Dato' Kho Hui Meng, who was then the President and CEO of Vitol Asia Pte Ltd and a director of Vitol Group’s Board, the scholarship supports first year full-time undergraduates across all degree programme at the university. It aims to nurture undergraduates to be creative, reflective global citizens and future leaders devoted to creating meaningful impact in business and society.    

Beyond the financial support, the scholarship also gave Belle opportunities and experiences she might not otherwise have had.  

“It put me in touch with some of the most interesting people I have ever met. The DKHM scholars are an incredibly diverse and ambitious bunch – amongst us is a SEA Games medalist who is too humble to tell you he is one, a beatboxer, a few mountain climbers, and many other characters. They also think very creatively while remaining practical. Meeting the other scholars broadened my perspectives.” 

Belle also attended the inaugural DKHM Scholars’ Bootcamp in Bintan, a programme under the scholarship  where scholars from different years are able to mingle and connect. She also had the opportunity to meet Dato' Kho, and was able to better understand the spirit behind the scholarship.  

“Meeting Dato Kho made me realise that I could pursue my ambitions and live a different life if I wanted to. Specifically, I would like to work overseas and foster children in the future. I would have been a lot more hesitant about pursuing these things if I had not been exposed to the DKHM group and seen real-life examples of situations in which they had done things that are off the beaten track,” Belle shared. 

Through the scholarship, Belle gained access to opportunities she could once only imagine. She will also be attending a programme at University of Oxford to study international law while pursuing independent research in poetry. As a longtime admirer of J. R. R. Tolkien and works such as The Lord of the Rings, she is particularly excited to stay at Exeter College, Oxford, where Tolkien studied. 

Even though her journey was far from smooth sailing, Belle remains hopeful and grateful for the support of the scholarship, and for what her future holds.  

“I will always remember Dato Kho’s impact on my life, especially the values and stories he imparted to me. I am very grateful for his support and for the care he has taken to ensure that we have avenues to ask for advice and to form friendships with each other. The scholarship has brought a lot of colour and adventure into my life, and I appreciate all the experiences Dato Kho has exposed us to.”  



Belle Koh Han Lyn (LLB 2029), Recipient of the Dato' Kho Hui Meng Scholarship