Written by: Alvin Lim
Edited by: Dominic Koek
Photos by: Daphne Tang
On the third day of the new academic year, 120 NTU-USPians gathered in the CresPion (Crescent & Pioneer) Function Hall for the student club’s first event of the year UrSpecialPlace. For the first time, the NTU-USP Club Annual General Meeting was held in conjunction with Back 2 School.
As NTU-USPians arrived, they were ‘de-lighted’ to find that the CresPion Function Hall had not been lit. Instead, the only lights in the hall came from winding fairy lights and the glow of the photographers’ camera lights – fitting for UrSpecialPlace, an event that showcased NTU-USP’s special place in the scholars’ lives.
Deputy Director of NTU-USP Professor Michael Walsh kicked off the evening by addressing new and returning students alike. He encouraged them to make the most of their time in university to participate and get to know people.
“Education and exams are two different things,” said Professor Walsh. “So don’t just think about good grades. Keep your minds open beyond exams.”
Professor Walsh also commended notable NTU-USP Club contributions, including the recent STEP Youth Regional Affairs Dialogue 2019, which saw students from 17 countries collaborating and mingling to improve their grasp of geopolitics and geoeconomics while forging friendships from across the globe.
After his address, it was the audience’s turn to learn more about one another. The emcees, Lim Jia Yi, a Year 3 Linguistics and Multilingual Studies student and Elaine Tay, a Year 3 Communication Studies student, facilitated a game of “Would You Rather?”. Our NTU-USPians shuffled around the room as they picked between choices such as, who is to blame for climate change, their most valued factor during a job hunt, and preferred sleeping position.
It’s all fun and games until the emcee asks you to explain why you sleep face-down.
Thereafter, President of the 6th NTU-USP Club Executive Committee Loh Teng Jie shed some light on the committee’s vision for the year: Empowerment, Enrichment and Engagement. He hoped that the student club’s events would not only serve as a fun way to encourage bonding among NTU-USPians, but will encourage all to be the best versions of themselves. He also stressed that the Executive Committee was elected to serve NTU-USPians, not themselves. The directors of the various sub-committees then took turns to share their aspirations. They shared about their respective portfolios in the hopes that the freshmen, and even seniors, would have a light bulb go off in their heads and sign up for their true calling. From Corporate Liaisons, Community Service events planners, to “So-sure” Media Managers (a playful pun made by Publicity and Public Relations Director Dominic Koek), each sub-committee provided a platform for NTU-USPians to learn and develop their portfolio, as well as enrich their learning experiences.
Alethea Tan, Director of Social Service Projects, urged NTU-USPians to actively give back to the community.
To end off the night, NTU-USP’s very own band lit up the room with moving renditions of ‘Thank U, Next’ by Ariana Grande, ‘Rewrite the Stars’ from The Greatest Showman, and ‘I am Alive’ by JJ Lin and Jason Mraz. The performance proved to be the highlight of the evening, with the audience swaying in rhythm and singing along. Ultimately, our scholars were reminded that NTU-USP is UrSpecialPlace, as both freshmen and seniors mingled as one family in the arena.
About the Author
Alvin (third from left) is a third year Communication Studies student, and a scholar of the NTU-University Scholars Programme (NTU-USP).
