Yale-NUS hosts appreciation event for alumni mentors

Alumni and current students chat over refreshments at the recognition event held at Yale-NUS in August 2022. Image by Soo Jun Xiang (Class of 2025) for Yale-NUS College.

On 26 August 2022, Yale-NUS College hosted an appreciation event for alumni who have been volunteering as mentors for current students. The event also allowed mentees to meet their mentors physically for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier in 2022, the Yale-NUS Alumni Affairs & Strategic Events (AASE) office launched the Alumni Advising and Mentoring Initiative (AAMI). The initiative provides a framework for alumni to support students by providing their perspectives on topics such as professional growth, pursuing graduate studies, and life after graduation.

Kevin Low, Assistant Manager in AASE and an alumnus of the Class of 2017, explained that the department hopes to encourage a stronger network between current students and alumni. “One of the best things about Yale-NUS is how invested alumni are in giving back to the community,” Kevin said. “With this initiative, we were able to consolidate various programmes offered by Centre for International & Professional Experience (CIPE) and the Student Affairs Office (SAO), allowing alumni to have a better sense of the advising opportunities for the upcoming months. Last semester for example, SAO organised “Flying the Nest”, a set of conversation sessions to allow graduating seniors to discuss different transitions into the world of adulting, such as house-hunting and personal finance.”

List of alumni mentors. Image by Soo Jun Xiang (Class of 2025) for Yale-NUS College.

This year, the mentoring programme ran on Cross Campus, Yale University’s online platform for networking, community-building, and mentorship. With this move, Yale University graduates could also participate as mentors, and around 80 Yale-NUS students benefitted from mentoring by both Yale-NUS and Yale alumni.

Yale College alumni LeRoy Cole (Class of 2012) shared how he previously worked in Singapore for three years and decided to sign up as a mentor. He said, “I’ve had the opportunity to mentor Yale students in the past and really enjoyed it. When the email went out asking to mentor Yale-NUS students given the announcement, I felt like this was a small way I could help. In addition, I greatly enjoyed helping my mentee talk through their challenges during our weekly coffee-chats. The best part was getting to reflect on my mentee’s very intelligent thoughtful questions.”

Mentor Evan Asava Aree (Class of 2018) with Mentee Kyle Foo (Class of 2022). Image provided by Kyle Foo.

Kyle Foo (Class of 2022) enjoyed getting to know his mentor, Evan Asava Aree (Class of 2018). He said, “I really bonded with Evan over our mutual passion in User Experience (UX) research and even experience in the same student club! We were both members of PS We Care, a peer-student counselling support group, which we found deeply meaningful. As Evan has extensive UX work experience in companies such as Accenture Interactive and GSK, I was able to gain immense clarity on my future career options”.

Evan added that while he was happy to share his insight and knowledge, he believes that many mentors would too be inspired and learn from their mentees.

Mentee Emilie Zhao (Class of 2025) with Mentor Betty Paul (Class of 2020). Image by Soo Jun Xiang (Class of 2025) for Yale-NUS College.

Emilie Zhao (Class of 2025) shared how she loved bonding with her mentor Betty Paul (Class of 2020) over their shared heritage as Canadians. Emilie enjoyed speaking with her mentor about bringing back the Yale-NUS experience while coexisting with NUS College.

On her decision to volunteer as a mentor, Betty shared, “I’ve received mentorship – informally and formally – from so many classmates, seniors, professors and staff throughout my time in college. In particular, the guidance of VP Trisha Craig, Christopher Tee (Class of 2017), and Keith Ang (Class of 2019) have deeply shaped the way I approached my college career. While I joined hoping I can ‘pay forward’ the kindness extended to me before, I also saw the mentorship programme as just formalising the element of mentorship that already is so engrained in the Yale-NUS ethos. I do hope this, among other initiatives lead by the school and alumni, can preserve our school community for years into the future.”

Students in conversation with Vice President Trisha Craig and Director of Career Services, Mr Norvin Ng. Image by Soo Jun Xiang (Class of 2025) for Yale-NUS College.

Vice President of Engagement, Trisha Craig, shared how she was happy to welcome many alumni back on campus.

“Yale-NUS alumni care so deeply about the College and the mentorship programme is a wonderful way to connect them with current students. Whether it’s sharing their professional expertise or offering advice on navigating college, they are creating bonds that will strengthen the Yale-NUS community for years to come. We’re also really pleased to include Yale alumni in our mentoring programme as it offers students the chance to grow professionally and expand their networks such that they can thrive anywhere in the world.”