Yale-NUS hosts networking reception for its alumni and alumni from various liberal arts colleges
Creating a community of liberal arts alumni in Singapore
On 3 February 2023, Yale-NUS College hosted its first reception for alumni who graduated from various liberal arts colleges. With participants forging connections over delicious food and drinks in the Performance Hall Foyer, the event helped create what is hoped to be the foundations for a liberal arts alumni community in Singapore.
Invitees included Yale-NUS alumni, current exchange students, and alumni from institutions such as Amherst College, Smith College, Vassar College, Yale University, and the University of California, Berkeley. Furthermore, since many of the liberal arts colleges represented are also partner institutions with Yale-NUS, past and present students have had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the institutions via study abroad programmes.
In her speech to kick off the event, Yale-NUS Vice-President of Engagement Trisha Craig highlighted the value of establishing a liberal arts network in Singapore, the benefits of such a network for alumni, and Yale-NUS’ unique position to facilitate such engagement.
“While different schools have different cultures, there is some similarity in terms of the experience one has attending a small liberal arts college. That shared perspective and experience of a small residential college plus the delight in learning across disciplines are points of intersection and we think it is the basis for building a network,” she explained.
Rachel Freeman, an exchange student hailing from Smith College in the United States, thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet alumni from her own college, some of whom are current Yale-NUS faculty and staff. “I saw Rector of Saga College Khoo Hoon Eng and Director of CIPE Nilanjana Pal, who are both Smith alumni! There were also a few alumni from Amherst which is in the same consortium as Smith, so we were able to talk about common spaces we shared,” she said.
Noticing the ease with which participants could share stories and engage with one another, she added, “I think once you leave college is when you begin to realise how similar your experiences have been to other liberal arts graduates. It’s always fun to connect with people in that community.”
Events such as the reception can also help exchange students feel like they’re a part of the wider Yale-NUS alumni community. “It’s great to have a pocket of your own college community halfway across the world,” Rachel shared.
Vice-President Craig also added that the College plans to continue hosting engagement events and receptions to connect the wider liberal arts alumni community in Singapore. “One thing many people miss after graduation is the chance to get together around ideas and bond with others over that. I think that convening role is one Yale-NUS can play to get the connections started,” she said.
The alumni reception adjourned with invitees moving to the Yale-NUS Black Box to attend a programme titled “Revitalising the Endangered Hokkien Potehi Glove Puppet Theatre”. Organised as part of the Saga Rector’s Tea series, the event began with a talk by Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Science Malaysia Tan Sooi Beng and Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute Dr Caroline Chia. The speakers shared the strategies and challenges of rejuvenating the Hokkien Potehi Glove Puppet Theatre in Penang.
A highlight of the event was an exclusive performance Potehi performance by the Ge Yi Ge Zai Xi troupe from Singapore. Rounding off the exciting evening, our students, alumni, and other attendees even had the chance to interact with the performers and try their hands at operating the puppets.
