Over four days in late-July, more than 3,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students had come together to celebrate, with family and friends, the successful completion of their education journey at the Singapore Management University (SMU). They would henceforth call themselves the SMU Class of 2022.

With a big bang event at Commencement 2022, they celebrated their hard work and achievements, as they concluded the end of an important period in their lives, and embark on the beginning of a new phase. That is why at SMU, we call this a ‘commencement’, it is a significant fresh beginning of a new journey indeed.

The largest batch of graduates since the University was established in 2000, SMU’s Class of 2022 comprised 1,995 Bachelor’s degree graduates, 1,222 Master’s degree and Juris Doctor degree graduates, and 51 Doctorate degree graduates.

All 3,268 of these young women and men would have undergone SMU’s distinctive education, one that focuses on holistic, transformative and integrative training. Needless to say, many of them would have overcome personal challenges and adversities, seized opportunities, pursued their passions, volunteered their services to the community, travelled the world, and in the process developed into better versions of themselves than when they first entered SMU as freshmen.

Below, we share some stories from the Class of 2022 that will give you a glimpse of their SMU journeys, experiences, growth and transformation.

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Juggling sports and school taught Jen Goh life lessons for success

It was not an easy start for the national golfer (she has since retired from professional golfing) who recently graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Social Science, majoring in Psychology, and Public Policy and Public Management.

“For the first couple of years, I travelled a lot for golf tournaments and was training about 35 hours a week, which meant I spent the rest of my time trying to keep up with classes. It came down to grit and making the right choices, which others may view as sacrifices, but to me, it was just part and parcel of being a student athlete.”

“I was also blessed to have met professors who inspired me in the classroom and the most wonderful classmates who shared their notes and were willing to group together despite my constant absence. The people at SMU made my experience great.”

Jen added, “At SMU, I developed this discipline of managing multiple things and learning how to work with what I got, while being unafraid to seek help when needed. I have come to realise that these are life lessons that will stay with me forever and set me up for success wherever I go.”

During her time in SMU, Jen founded Hopefull. “I saw that there was a need on the ground. Kids were being stuck at home during circuit breaker and had little to do, especially for those living in rental flats. Yet social service agencies who had the resources could not reach them because of the numerous volunteering restrictions at that time. I rallied some friends and we did door-to-door contactless deliveries of activity kits (what we call Tinker kits) to over 200 households. We have since grown to start Tinker IRL, which aim to take learning to life for these kids through hands on workshops such as nature walks to learn about biodiversity.”

“It is a lot of work for us volunteers, but the kids sustain us. We hope to deepen the work in the future by scaling down numbers and pursuing more long-term engagements with chosen community partners, to really create meaningful impact.”

Looking ahead, Jen shared, “I hope to continue learning and growing in the social impact space, and maybe eventually finding myself doing development work in the future after my postgraduate education. That said, just as life changed dramatically for me before, I strive to never lose my sense of purpose - to be a positive light and force wherever I go.”

She is now working at The Majurity Trust as an Associate on the Philanthropy Team.

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An SMU journey defined by start-up experiences

For Soon Kah Leong, SMU was a place where he his entrepreneurial spirit flourished, with the support from family, friends and the University.

“Studying was never my forte and to be very honest, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue my education after Junior College. Eventually, I decided to pursue the SMU Bachelor of Business Management as I thought it could benefit my dog grooming start-up!” shared Kah Leong.

The certified dog-groomer went on to win numerous start-up competitions and awards at SMU – 2nd runner-up at SMU eagles P.A.K challenge 2019; Most Creative Business Pitch P.A.K Challenge 2019; Most Social award at “Startathon 2019” NUS; Winner at “Punggol Digital District” Singapore Institute of Technology; 2nd runner up winner at “Designathon 2018” National Design Centre.

He had also received two accelerator grants (KahChing and Beepi) from SMU to help with the pilot testing of his start-ups. “The funds were used to create our prototype, create platform, website and fund pilot testing to get some used cases. I also took leave of absence in academic year 2019 to develop my start-ups. There was traction to the project and with the grants and support from SMU, I wanted to seize the opportunity to build something up,” he shared.

“I had also received multiple bursaries and accelerator grants from SMU and it supported me financially as I juggled between school, part-time work and start-ups.”

“My SMU journey is mostly defined by the start-up experiences I have. This experiential journey with my co-founders was built on passion, dedication and trust, as we hustle to address the needs of the market. I am proud to have walked this journey with them and would like to express my gratitude for chasing this wild dream with me. May we continue to be adventurous as we embarked onto the next chapter of our lives!”

Kah Leong has graduated with a Bachelor of Business Management degree, majoring in Entrepreneurship. He is now working as an Associate Consultant at the Sustainable Living Lab.

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Scoring a dream job with six internships under her belt

In the case of Maanasa Sri Ganesh, who graduated with a Bachelor of Accountancy, SMU was the place where she grew to become an outspoken and confident individual.

The student leader was Vice-President of Tamizha (Registered Society Under MHA), an external student-initiated Tamil organisation which aims to bring Tamil-speaking youths (mainly from SMU) to run projects and give back to the community. The recipient of the SMU Emerging Artist Award 2018 has also been learning Indian Classical Dance (Bharatanatyam) for 15 years. 

“This hobby has taught me many skills, such as resilience, respect, teamwork, time management. I hope to make this art form more accessible and relatable to the common man by attempting more collaborative performances or taking up more contemporary themes.”

Also a member of the SMU Broadcast and Entertainment club, Maanasa said, “Before SMU, I was not a very spontaneous person by nature, so emceeing and hosting informal events were definitely not within my comfort zone. I am thankful for seniors who provided me feedback and support. Emceeing is now a huge part of my life and has been pivotal in making me a much more calm and adaptable person.”

“Through my SMU experience, I have grown to be a more outspoken and curious person!” she added.

Notably, as an accounting undergraduate, Maanasa had completed six internships during her four years of study - at Simbiosis Consulting (Accounting Intern), Techsumption Ventures (Operations Manager), Johnson and Johnson (Key Accounts and Commercial Excellence Intern), Happy Marketer (Finance and Strategy Intern), Unilever International (Customer Development Intern), and JP Morgan Chase (Corporate Analyst Development Programme Intern).

“After my first internship, I realised that I am keen on roles that involve finance and strategy. I then started to explore roles out of the conventional accounting route of audit and tax internships. The holistic knowledge that the SMU accounting curriculum offered put me in good stead when I applied for roles which were not directly related to my degree.”

Maanasa is now all geared up to start on her graduate programme at Jardine Matheson from September. The three-year programme will expose her to two different subsidiaries across two geographies, with her first role being in Hong Kong.

“The experiences that I gathered from SMU through group projects, overseas community service projects, various internships and my leadership roles in clubs have aided me in landing a place in Jardine Matheson’s Executive Trainee Programme. I am certain that the global exposure gained during my four years will shape my time in Hong Kong.”

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Volunteering and pro bono work showed Anmol Singh new perspectives in life

Anmol Singh had picked the SMU Bachelor of Laws programme for its unique pedagogy and law course offerings, which provides opportunities for students to interact with other disciplines as well as develop interests and friendships outside the legal fraternity. “Furthermore, the atmosphere at the SMU Open House also felt very welcoming to me; I was excited to be a part of SMU’s vibrant student life.”

As it turned out, Law school eventually made a bigger impact in her life than she had imagined.

“SMU has been a wonderful experience for me. Admittedly, the learning curve was extremely steep and initially I would fall behind with my readings and get overwhelmed. However, the cohort at Yong Pung How School of Law was particularly small and that helped to foster a greater sense of camaraderie.”

“There was always a huge feeling of community and togetherness when it came to things like our internships in year 2 and training contract applications in year 3. It made mundane, ordinary and even stressful periods of school life something that I now look back fondly on. The cumulative experience has been unforgettable for me.”

During her time in SMU, Anmol served a 471.8 hours of community service, of which 152 hours was in pro bono work with Law Society Pro Bono Services. This was despite the fact that the graduation requirement for all SMU students was just 80 hours of service.

“Through the overseas community service experience (in Kenya!) and volunteering in general, I have come to appreciate differences and diversity, as well as become a more empathetic person.”

“As for pro-bono, it was an extremely meaningful experience for me. In criminal law, we primarily learnt about murder and its constituent elements but there was none of that at CLAS (Criminal Legal Aid Scheme). Rather, CLAS exposed me to the other criminal offences and how the criminal legal system in Singapore functioned. I primarily took notes for the volunteer lawyers as they advised accused persons as to the nature of their offence and what the offence meant - plus matters such as sentencing, and mitigation.”

“I learnt that there is meaningful work in simply explaining one’s options and circumstances in a manner that they are able to understand. Because not everyone understands legalese and the sheer quantity of information can be overwhelming for the layman.”

She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Laws, and is currently doing her training contract with Allen & Gledhill in their Mergers and Acquisitions team.

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Close siblings bringing double-joy to the family

What are the chances of graduating from the same university with the same degree and major, together with your favourite sibling? Well, Esme and Edrea Tan are just that lucky.

"Graduating together is definitely a double-joy for our family as we complete our formal education and embark on the next phase of lives!” they exclaimed. Both recently graduated with Bachelor of Science in Economics degrees.

“Pursuing the same degree and major meant that we could share notes, get the best tips about classes and professors, as well as strategise together on how to get classes at the lowest bid. Throughout our education journey, we were able to guide each other when we were unsure of the direction to take in terms of academics and career. We understand each other very well and can give each other valuable advice,” said Esme.

“Giving back to the community has always been our common interest, and I am grateful for the platform that SMU provides students to freely explore diverse volunteering opportunities,” said Edrea, who was active in several volunteering projects during her years in SMU, such as assisting a non-profit organisation in improving its business model to achieve financial sustainability.

The sisters also share a common love for art. While Edrea has attained a performing arts diploma in guzheng and has performed at numerous concerts and charity events, Esme had explored a career in painting. “I had also taken the Art History, Cultural Policy & Practice and Art & Cultural Marketing modules, thanks to SMU’s flexible curriculum which allows students to take modules unrelated to our course of study but which are aligned to our interests and passions,” said Esme.

On what motivates them in life, Esme said, “The desire to live life to the fullest. The amazing examples set by my family members, of having fulfilling careers, motivate me to continuously improve myself.” “As for me, I am passionate about driving sustainability and green impact. Taking leave of absence in my second year for an internship at a global financial services group with strong capabilities in green investments had allowed me to discover my passion in sustainable investments, particularly in infrastructure and energy,” said Edrea.

Esme has started working as a Consultant in one of the Big 4 accounting firms while Edrea is now an Investment Analyst in a global financial services group.

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Software engineer continues to mentor children from disadvantaged families even after graduation

On her choice of university and discipline from the onset, Nur Syafiqah Binte Mohamed Raihan, who recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science (Information System), said, “I was intrigued by the six tracks offered in the BSc (IS) degree by the School of Computing and Information Systems! As I was not sure what my strengths and interests were back then, I really enjoyed the flexibility offered by the curriculum, where I was able to choose between a technical or business centric track in my senior years at SMU.”

“Moreover, I was drawn to SMU's learning pedagogy as it encourages one to actively engage during lessons,” she added.

When asked how much she feels she has grown over the past four years in SMU, Nur Syafiqah shared, "I'm definitely more confident now, and I feel really blessed and excited about the future! Before SMU, I felt lost and unsure."

While the COVID pandemic partly derailed her overseas plans, it opened doors to new discoveries. “I participated in a short-term Internship programme offered by the school for three weeks in Hanoi, Vietnam, and truly enjoyed the cultural exchange, as well as the opportunity to see the growing start-up scene there. Due to COVID, I was not able to participate in any overseas student exchange programme. Instead, I participated in a local exchange programme at NTU. I enjoyed exploring modules not offered by SMU, such as 'Korean Cinema In The Global Context', as part of my Asian Studies requirement.”

Every SMU undergraduate serves at least 80 hours of community service leading to their graduation, however, for Nur Syafiqah, community service has always been an important part of her life, even before SMU. “I was already a volunteer mentor for D'Klub before my university days, so I chose to continue volunteering there weekly. It is a mentorship programme where volunteers give tuition and lead character building sessions to primary school kids.”

“Being able to mentor the kids over the long term has been fulfilling and allowed me to build strong relationships with them.”

Nur Syafiqah is now working at Grab as a Database Engineer - Software Development.

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From Chemistry teacher to lawyer-to-be

For Alan Teo, growth is an understatement. The former award-winning Chemistry teacher at Hwa Chong Institution decided on a mid-career switch following what he described as a relatively short but extremely rewarding teaching career, enrolled into the SMU Juris Doctor programme at SMU, and is now all geared up to embark on his new journey.

“Over three years in SMU Yong Pung How School of Law, I have come to appreciate that there are many parallels between the work of an educator and that of a lawyer.

An educator places the interests of the child at the centre while not forgetting the higher obligation he owes to the society. Similarly, a lawyer acts in the best interests of his clients while owing a higher obligation to the courts. Both professions are more than just careers – it is a calling.”

Alan’s disciplinary transition from Science to Law had not been breezy. “Unlike some of my peers, I had a slow start in law school. I joined with a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Chemistry, I had with no prior working experience in law firms nor have I taken any law courses before. I started from ground zero. Fortunately, through the guidance of the wonderful seniors and professors in #SGSMUYPHSL, my results steadily improved as I became more familiar with the rigours.”

He added, “US President Abraham Lincoln once said that ‘Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.’ This has always been my mantra in coping with the different demands and (often overlapping) deadlines!”

Graduating with Juris Doctor, Summa Cum Laude, Alan said, “I’m elated that today I officially graduate; I foresee myself practising law upon being called to the Singapore Bar.”

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Multi-tasking Mom all set to seize new opportunities in her career

Presently Director at Credit Agricole Indosuez (CAI) Wealth Management, Jaclyn Kaur has three children, aged 7 years, 4 years and 5 months. The youngest arrived when she was pursuing her Master of Science in Wealth Management (MWM) at SMU.

“I had just learnt that I was pregnant when I was accepted to the programme. I was apprehensive about taking on a Master’s degree at first, but decided that there is no better time and ploughed on.”

To Jaclyn, having the right mindset, as well as open communication with her family, were key to being able to juggle family, work and study. “I recall delivering my third child at the beginning of March, and by the end of the month, I jumped on a plane for Switzerland for the MWM's one-week overseas study leg! Effective time management was pivotal for my time at SMU, and I had the wonderful support of my family, my professors, course-mates and team members.” 

“This course met my expectations in every way. It connected me to world-class professors, sharpened my knowledge and provided a good refresher of the wealth management industry. Another winning proposition is the myriad backgrounds of my course-mates, whom I have been blessed to know and forge connections with.”

“The programme deepened my knowledge of the wealth management industry and served as a good refresher. I was also able to sharpen my business acumen by learning not only the hard skills, but also improving on my soft skills. Looking back, this has been one of the most definitive chapters of my life, and I am sure that whatever I have learnt in just one year will have ripples in my life ahead.”

Jaclyn is all set to seek out new opportunities in her career. “Having completed my Masters, I am working on moving into a leadership role in the wealth management space," she said.

Once again, our heartiest congrats to the SMU Class of 2022! You did it!

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