Billionaire ‘With S’pore Passport’ Allegedly Paid SGD$8.86 Million to Get Daughter into Stanford

Ever since I was young, I could remember looking at the kids with sleek Hello Kitty pencil cases and Converse shoes with envy.

Must be nice to have rich parents, I’ll think.

Then, the drama escalated into a “them vs us” situation right here in Singapore.

Like Raffles Institute

And Wee Shu Min, if you remember who she is.

Here’s a hint: Get out of my elite, uncaring face.

Yup, let’s just say the high-SES-low-SES wave took over Singapore, a country which believed in a meritocracy.

Then, she appeared.

Zhao Siyu (赵思雨), A.K.A “Molly”

Zhao Siyu is the daughter of a Chinese billionaire, Zhao Tao.

Her father is the chairman and co-founder of Shandong Buchang Pharmaceuticals, a drug company dealing in traditional Chinese medicine and health supplements.

He has a net worth of about US$1.8 billion (S$2.5 billion) as of February 2019. He is also listed as a Singaporean but is staying in Xi’an, China.

His daughter, Zhao Siyu, managed to get into Stanford back in 2017 and she uploaded a YouTube video about her admission.

In the 90-minute long video, she talked about how she got into Stanford through her own hard work.

“Chase After Your Dreams”

In the video, she also denied that her family being rich has anything to do with her enrolment into the prestigious school.

She added that the admissions officers “have no idea who you are”.

So she urged her viewers to keep holding on to their dreams, regardless of their socio-economic background.

Mediocre To Top Student

Zhao Siyu described herself as someone who was mediocre in primary school but worked hard to later become a top student in the United States.

“Based on my experience of study, I want to tell you that really anyone can do it,” she went on. “I’m not the kind who was born with a very high I.Q. or who can score 33 or 36 in an exam just like that. But I made my way up step by step, through my hard work.”

What an angel.

You can view her full video below:

Then, Tragedy Strikes

On 2 May 2019, the New York Times ran an article on this angelic student.

Wait, what $6.5 million?!

As it turns out, Zhao Siyu might have left something out of her journey to scholarism.

Her dad, Zhao Tao, was accused of spending US$6.5 million (S$8.86 million) to get her enrolled into Stanford University.

William Singer (Not a Real Singer)

Zhao had allegedly paid that amount to a college consultant by the name of William Singer.

They were introduced by a financial adviser working at the multinational investment bank, Morgan Stanley.

After the money was paid, Singer allegedly did the following:

• Provided a list of fake sailing accomplishments for Zhao Siyu
• Made a US$500,000 (S$682,000) donation to the sailing programme after she was enrolled
• Tried to get her recruited into the Stanford sailing team, but failed.

Family’s Response To The Saga

Zhao Siyu’s mom has spoken out on the issue.

She confessed that she had made payment to Singer but claimed that she thought the money was to be donated to help others.

As for the father, he was previously noted for saying that he despises kids “who don’t rely on their own abilities”:

“If I come across one, I give them a dressing down right away. I just can’t stand that type”.

Body Counts:

Here’s what happened to the people involved in the saga:

• Zhao Siyu a.k.a Molly: Moved out from Stanford campus on 30 Mar 2019 and had her expulsion announced on 2 Apr
• The financial adviser who introduced Zhao Tao & William Singer: Fired for being uncooperative
• Mr Zhao Tao emphasised that the company has nothing to do with his daughter’s studies and the source of fund isn’t from the company.

Question of the Day: Does She Know?

China netizens are now wondering if Zhou Siyu knows about her own admission journey.

One said that she definitely did.

“She should be aware of what her parent did for her to get into Stanford. To enter the sailing team in Stanford, she had to fill out a bunch of application forms herself. Sailing teams in top American universities are basically on the Olympic level. To be able to do this, she’s not only daring but also foolish. To tell others that it’s fair competition is also a way of showing off.”

While others thought she shouldn’t be hated too much.

“This girl looks like a kind child. So trolls, please spare her!”

“If we judge a person based on his or her looks, why do we still need the law?”

Meanwhile, Singaporeans be like:

Thoughts

Now, I’m no Stanford-material, nor am I NUS-material, but if there’s one thing I got to highlight about the entire saga? At least the message was good.

I mean, chase after your dreams, no matter whether the person giving that inspiring message is real or fake, is legit, good advice.

And all the hate against rich people isn’t worth it.

Learn from them instead (except the bad stuff) and who knows, you might just be able to sit in front of a camera and tell people about how your “hard work translated into success”.

Like this guy.

Oh, wait. This guy again?