The children of Singapore’s high society are now at the cusp of adulthood. We catch up Hilton Rogers to find out what they’ve been occupied with lately.
Born in New York and raised in Singapore from the age of four, the older daughter of Paige Parker and Jim Rogers – who also goes by the name Happy – is a spitting image of her mother with her long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. More than good looks, the 19-year-old also inherited the drive and ambitiousness of her American parents.
“They are both very hard workers, and neither of them likes to give up on anything. They were definitely the catalysts for my commitment to Mandarin; after all, if not for their initial foresight when it came to teaching me and my younger sister (Bee) about Asia, I would undoubtedly know far less,” says Hilton.
Although the award-winning Mandarin speaker is now back in her birth city to attend university at Columbia, Hilton is determined to keep the language close while charting a course in matters of state. “I’ve always loved following politics, especially in the last couple years,” adds the sophomore student, who recently interned at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of New York.
“I love that my school offers both domestic politics and international relations – the best of both worlds – so I’ll likely be heading that way, majoring in political science or political history. While I’m not entirely certain what I’d like to do following graduation, I know it will involve Mandarin.”
Living abroad and away from her family, Hilton says she’s learnt many things, chief among them is taking care of herself in a big, foreign city. That includes walks in Riverside Park or Central Park with friends, museum visits, and staying active as much as possible. “My family lived in NYC, but I was certainly far too young to recall much from that time of my life,” she says. “I am grateful that my parents will always have my back should
I find myself in a confusing situation, but I’m otherwise keen to explore living alone.”
This story first appeared in the Oct 2022 issue of Prestige Singapore.
