A celebration of student achievements

President Halimah Yacob (centre), flanked by Prof Koh (left) and Prof Boey (right), watching the performances during the Dinner

Tembusu College at NUS held its annual Formal Dinner on 10 April to mark the end of the academic year and celebrate their students’ achievements, with President of the Republic of Singapore and NUS Chancellor Madam Halimah Yacob as Guest-of-Honour.

Professor Tommy Koh, Rector of Tembusu College; Professor Freddy Boey, Senior Vice President (Graduate Education & Research Translation); Professor Florence Ling, Vice Provost (Student Life); and Associate Professor Gregory Clancey, Master of Tembusu College were among those in attendance.

Prof Koh shared three life lessons with the students present, illustrating his points with examples from Madam Halimah’s life. “Do not allow the circumstance of your birth and the poverty of your family to prevent you from believing that you can overcome your adversity,” he said, sharing that in spite of Madam Halimah’s loss of her father at the tender age of eight, she was determined to have an education. He also reminded female students not to be treated as second class citizens by men or be discouraged from holding leadership positions. Finally, he exhorted students to “have the courage of your conviction”, informing them that the President is a passionate champion of workers’ rights and has worked ceaselessly to improve their welfare.

At the Dinner, Tan Xuan, a Year 2 student from NUS Design and Environment was presented with the 2017 Best Essay Prize for his essay titled “Why is the criminalisation of graffiti and street art problematic?”. Year 2 NUS Arts and Social Sciences student Sabrina Faisal was presented with the 2017 Best Creative Work Prize for her mural design Waktu from the Junior Seminar titled “Murals – Expressions from/on the Walls”.

The event was attended by some 500 Tembusu College students, faculty and staff as well as international students staying at the College.