Motivation & Background

Building on the success of our previous photo narrative project “Your Story@TEDxNTU” which highlighted the personal stories and inspirations of our attendees, the NTU WoW team decided to expand on the theme of photo narration. Recently another such successful as well as impactful visual narrative project viz. ‘Humanizing The Heroin Epidemic: A Photo Essay’ based on heroine drug users has been reported [http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/humanizing-heroin-epidemic-photo-essay]. Inspired and motivated by these works we have done a photography project which highlights the efforts of the underappreciated and “unseen” workers of NTU – such as canteen staff, construction workers, security guards, and cleaners whose hard work keeps NTU’s refined machinery running. Through a photo narrative series of three pictures we would narrate how they go through a typical day of work. The project will highlight the various circumstances and backgrounds of each of these unseen, yet equally important people in our daily lives.

Interviewees

The interviewees of the project are NTU’s workers – canteen staff, construction workers, security guards, and cleaners from around the university, who all do a part in keeping NTU working.

• Mr. Joe, Bus Driver

Every day, we see them: “Uncles” who are tasked with the vital responsibility to transport NTU students around the campus. But sometimes, it is easy for us not to realize how school bus captains impact students’ lives and the university community in general.

Have you ever wondered who these “uncles” behind the wheels are?

Mr. Joe has been doing this job for half of his life, and 12 years of those have been spent at NTU. Though he didn’t manage to finish his studies, his desire to support his two children is what motivates him to perform well on his job.

For Mr. Joe, his role is about “looking after the students just like his own children.”

It is through this small gesture that the 65-year-old uncle gets to know a little something about these students whom he interacts on a daily basis. “A student once talked to me how hard it is to find a job after graduation, and I gave him some advice from my personal experience.”

Uncle Mr. Joe hopes that students, in turn, would understand why bus drivers like him have to be strict. At the end of the day, it is the students’ safety that is always on top of their priority.

• Mr. Taufiq, Security Guard

In between the roads and buildings of NTU, ensuring a safe environment for students and faculty are all in a day’s work for young security officer Mr. Taufiq.

“NTU students, being young adults, are not difficult to interact with,” he said.

Security officers are deployed to different areas around the campus to conduct regular patrols and attend to security needs. The job can be demanding, but this is what gives Mr. Taufiq a sense of satisfaction for three years now.

And like some students, he strives to balance work from school. Working at NTU for him is like a learning journey.

“As a working student, it gives me the opportunity to apply what I learn from school,” he said. “I also see NTU students as role models; each of them has their own abilities and this drives me to progress consistently.”

Students might often overlook the importance of a security officer’s role a member of the school community. But for Mr. Taufiq, security is a not just a job, but a rewarding career.

• Mr. Vishal, Canteen Cook