Class of 2022 graduates embark on their careers

After experiencing the ups and downs of undergraduate life, along with unexpected disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Yale-NUS Class of 2022 completed their four years of liberal arts and science education at Yale-NUS College, overcoming these challenges to emerge stronger. Resilient, intelligent, and innovative, three graduating students reflect on what they have learned in their time in Yale-NUS and their pursuit of career opportunities in different sectors.

Benjamin Goh (Class of 2022), a History major and Urban Studies minor, will be joining the education sector. Image provided by Benjamin.

Passing on his knowledge to future generations is what Benjamin Goh (Class of 2022) is passionate about. Benjamin, a History major and Urban Studies minor, looks forward to becoming a history teacher and making a difference in how the subject is taught. This interest was sparked by a 10-week teaching internship programme, which cemented his love for all things related to teaching, especially learning from his students in turn.

Benjamin appreciates the interdisciplinary education he has received at Yale-NUS, as he has learned how to approach an issue from different disciplines. “In a class on Urban Heritage, I saw how historians, heritage enthusiasts, and urbanists approach heritage issues differently. Being exposed to such interdisciplinary thinking helps me as an educator to find ways of ensuring that every student has something they can engage with in the class,” he said.

Furthermore, Benjamin’s research experience gave him the experience necessary to explain his content to different audiences. “This was salient because in the classroom there are students with different levels of prior knowledge. Differentiated instruction is key and I learned how to do this by pitching my paper both to experts in the field and people who were not from the same major.”

Outside of the classroom, Benjamin’s conversations with his professors were helpful in learning about different pedagogies. He was also a Residential College Advisor, providing focused support to first-year students in their first year of college. Through this role, he learned how to facilitate small-group discussions and create a safe space for students to share their experiences with each other.

He is also excited about the prospect of integrating technology into the classroom to enhance the learning experience. Benjamin said, “History is anything but dead, and it is an ongoing conversation. I want to bring this dynamism into the classroom, so that my students have a fun time learning the subject.”

Manuela Uzunova (Class of 2022), a Philosophy, Politics and Economics major, will be working at Morgan Stanley. Image by Moni.

Manuela Uzunova (Class of 2022), who goes by Moni, is a Philosophy, Politics and Economics major going into the finance industry, focusing on global markets. She will be joining the Sales and Trading division within the Institutional Equities department of Morgan Stanley. She looks forward to presenting investment ideas to investors in a comprehensive manner, offering unique value-add in the process. “I have come to understand that the salesperson is the window to the bank’s resources, serving as the point of contact between clients and the bank. They know the different products and services that the bank has to offer, and help connect interested clients with the respective teams in charge of those products and services. I look forward to finding out how I can best fit this role in the years to come,” Moni said.

Moni discovered her interest in this industry through Future Female Traders, an event organised by Morgan Stanley in partnership with Amplify. By trying out a trading simulation platform, she found herself captivated by the fast-paced environment that rewarded critical thinking. “I was particularly impressed by the exposure to current events and trends in global markets. Every day, you discuss new developments in particular sectors, companies, and countries to find interesting ideas to pitch to clients. In sales and trading, no two days are ever the same,” Moni said.

The liberal arts and science education at Yale-NUS imbued Moni both with the necessary knowledge, flexibility and confidence essential to her future job. “I frequently found myself in uncharted territories, especially during [my first two years in College where I took] the Common Curriculum. However, the mindset of persistence and commitment to learning and improving that I cultivated in the process played a crucial role in my professional development,” Moni explained. The Common Curriculum is a foundational sequence of 10 interdisciplinary courses that introduces students to multiple modes of thought from global perspectives.

Rayner Ng (Class of 2022), a Mathematical, Computational & Statistical Sciences major, will be continuing to work at Google, following his summer internship there. Image by Rayner.

Meanwhile, Rayner Ng (Class of 2022) is a Mathematical, Computational & Statistical Sciences major who will be joining the technology industry as an Associate Product Marketing Manager at Google. This follows his summer internship at the company where he grew to appreciate the creative aspects of technology marketing. He hopes to continue developing his skills in this area, melding creative work as a marketing professional with his academic knowledge of computing concepts and data science.

Rayner’s time at Yale-NUS prepared him for this role in more ways than one. “Some of my most memorable essays in the Common Curriculum allowed me to pursue creative and open-ended work,” he mentioned. He was also able to exercise his imagination by working creatively with others as a writing peer tutor on campus.

On top of that, Rayner believes that Yale-NUS inculcated an openness to perspectives, which is invaluable to his career where ideas are often evolving. The academic rigour at Yale-NUS also bolstered his resilience in learning new things, which will be incredibly helpful when he finds himself picking up knowledge from foreign and seemingly unrelated domains in his course of work.

Rayner looks forward to joining Google, which he believes will be an extension of his journey at Yale-NUS, where he was inspired by the diversity on campus and the passion of the people around him.