Picture a classroom and most would visualise it as a place for learning with four walls, a whiteboard, and desks and chairs arranged in rows. Now, imagine this: the university as a huge learning space that encapsulates student life is an integral part of the educational experience.

NUS provides a garden of campus life opportunities for students to bloom, equipping them with key capabilities and essential soft skills to thrive not only in the present but the future. We speak to three recent graduates who pursued multi-faceted interests during their time in NUS – from setting up an independent record label, to organising community events, or cultivating a thriving hostel community.

Sidharth Premnath: Engineering a symphony of experiences

Sidharth Premnath, 24, felt his heart pounding moments before he took the stage. His performance at the Singapore Art Week would be his biggest since he started producing electronic music on his laptop when he was just 12.

Stylishly clad in shades, a black T-shirt and jeans, the performer in Sidharth took over as he belted his original composition, set against background music he created.

“It was an amazing opportunity to showcase my work,” he said of the January 2024 event, where he performed as part of the NUS Electronic Music Lab, a student interest group that focuses on original composition and production of electronic music through the medium of digital software and electronic audio technology. “Music is my release, artwork, and expression,” enthused Sidharth who graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) with Honours (Merit) from NUS College of Design and Engineering on 17 July 2024.

In fact, it was in his dormitory room in Tembusu College where he conceived his record label Exfil Records, which organised its first concert in March 2024 and has a few more in the pipeline.

Such opportunities to pursue varied interests and the interdisciplinary curriculum offered by Tembusu College appealed to him. “I studied STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) my whole life, and wanted to expand my breadth of knowledge. In Tembusu College, I could achieve that,” said Sidharth.

Besides his music venture, he is also considering an engineering career, believing firmly that his interdisciplinary educational background will be a boon.

“Most innovations are coming at the intersection of multiple industries, as opposed to being at the core of engineering or science,” he said, mentioning how, for example, in Natural Language Processing, computer scientists would also have to think about linguistics principles.

He wheeled out a cycling analogy for his education at Tembusu and NUS. “It’s like I’m taking out the training wheels now. I’m equipped with what I need and unafraid to take on any challenge,” he said.

Vivian Tan: Sowing seeds for others

The lush surroundings of NUS’ University Town are usually peaceful in the early morning air. In the wee hours of November 2023, however, Vivian Tan found herself swarmed by a flurry of activity ahead of NUS’ inaugural Plant-It-Forward (PIF) Day.

The event was part of Vivian’s final-year Field Service Project for NUS Business School Honours students. It was a meaningful initiative, she said, as PIF supported less privileged students while creating a positive environmental impact.

With her specialisation in marketing, Vivian and her team were involved in the event’s publicity and logistics, such as coming up with the idea of having 3D-printed planters (small plant pots) and an interactive collaborative batik painting. “It was very memorable to see how we could contribute to the event, bringing to life what we had planned,” she recounted.

The PIF Day was just one major highlight of her campus life. Another was getting to know Melissa Lim, an adjunct lecturer at NUS Business and also the founder and president of Brain Tumour Society Singapore.

Both Melissa and Vivian are brain tumour survivors. After more than 10 years in remission, Vivian is supporting others in the same situation, such as a peer from NUS College of Design and Engineering, whom she came to know through Melissa.

“It’s nice to help someone else with what I went through, so they are not as lost,” said the 23-year-old.

In the classroom, Vivian has also helped to nurture others as a teaching assistant, a role which she described as “daunting” at first.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration with Honours (Highest Distinction) on 21 July 2024, she will be taking on a management associate role at a telecommunications company.

“It’s amazing that I’ve come so far. From being afraid of speaking in class to feeling at ease in class discussions, taking on new experiences and leading a team. There’s a lot of gratitude as I met the right people to guide me,” she said.

Lim Choon Wei: Leading the charge in giving

It was an unusual but heartening sight for Lim Choon Wei and his teammates at the Raffles Volunteer Corps (RVC), a volunteering interest group at Raffles Hall (RH).

The dozens of “uncles” and “aunties” who worked at RH, whether in the kitchen or hall office, were well-dressed in formal attire. They were not here for work, but for a get-together where students showed their appreciation through heartfelt speeches and a catered meal. The first Hall Staff Appreciation was held in 2021 and has since remained an annual tradition at RH.

“We could see they (the hall staff) really enjoyed it,” said Choon Wei, age 24, who considered the event among the most significant in his NUS years.

Another was the Raffles Hall Information Outlet (RHino) programme started at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a free tuition clinic for underprivileged secondary students. RVC enlisted RH residents to teach these students subjects like Mathematics and English Language over Zoom.

When Choon Wei became President of RVC in 2021, he led the charge for RHino to include non-academic subjects such as coding and photography. The programme won Merit for Community Service at the 2021 Student Life Awards (now known as the NUS Achievement Awards).

Perhaps more crucially, many of the 100 beneficiaries had only positive messages to share in their feedback. “What was heartwarming was that some would name their tutors. This shows how much impact the volunteers had made,” said Choon Wei, who became President of the RH Junior Common Room Committee during his final year.

The fresh graduate who graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Sociology) with Honours (Distinction) shared that his RH volunteering experiences have prepared him well for his current role as a social worker at SHINE Children and Youth Services .

As he moves on from his time at NUS and RH, what he will miss most is the friendships in the hall. “The late-night conversations over supper. Pockets of time to sit down, rest and have fun,” said Choon Wei with a smile.

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This story first appeared in NUSNews on 19 July 2024, as part of a series covering Commencement 2024, and celebrating the achievements of NUS graduates from the Class of 2024.