Yale-NUS seniors embark on different professional careers

As the academic year wraps up, graduating students from the Class of 2023 reflect on their journey at Yale-NUS before embarking on new beginnings and career paths.

Sarah Nicole Sim (Class of 2023), who will start work as a teacher. Image provided by Sarah.

Sarah Nicole Sim (Class of 2023), a History major, will be teaching history and social studies at a local secondary school before pursuing a post-graduate diploma in education at the National Institute of Education (NIE).

“Throughout my life, my teachers have played a really significant role in building up my resilience and compassion towards people. This is why I find education to be such a fulfilling career, and I hope to play a part in shaping children during their formative years,” she shared.

Sarah believes that her academic experiences in Yale-NUS have primed her well to become a teacher. She said, “The way that we are expected to lead class discussions and give presentations has definitely taught me how to articulate my thoughts in a clearer manner. Students in Singapore are often afraid to speak up and clarify their doubts and I think it would be meaningful to let them feel more heard and seen from a young age.”

In addition, Sarah added that her experience of living and learning in a diverse college has taught her to be more aware and sensitive toward people and their different backgrounds. Applying this to her career, she said, “I want to make sure that every student can feel comfortable and safe within the classroom and hope the space can be a springboard for them to discover and nurture their talents and passions.”

Jonathan Chia (Class of 2023), who will start work at GIC. Image provided by Jonathan Chia.

Jonathan Chia (Class of 2023) will be applying his Mathematical, Computational, and Statistical Sciences training to use at GIC, the manager of Singapore’s global reserves. He will be joining the GIC Professionals Programme in August, which will rotate him across different departments in the company to gain various technical skills while learning about how GIC operates.

Jonathan previously did a summer internship with GIC. In 2022, he was with the public equities team where he conducted in-depth due diligence and research to identify businesses with the potential to generate strong long-term returns. Jonathan shared how he planned to return to the same team after his stint in the GIC Professionals Programme.

“I was interested in pursuing a career in financial services even before I matriculated at Yale-NUS. The work is mentally stimulating and requires one to put together different sources of information into a coherent thesis, which I enjoy,” he said.

“Moreover, working for GIC allows me to contribute to Singapore’s long-term financial future as it is Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund,” he added.

During his time at Yale-NUS, Jonathan carefully chose classes which would prepare him for a career in the financial industry. For example, classes such as the Seminar on Corporate Finance and Investment Analysis and Economics taught Jonathan the principles of running a firm, how economic concepts relate to the investment process, and more. He shared that often, the professors teaching his classes were industry professionals, which allowed him to gain practical experience.

Maretta Simon (Class of 2023), who will start work at Citibank. Image provided by Maretta.

Maretta Simon (Class of 2023) will be joining Citibank as a Global Markets Analyst and contribute to the sales, trading, and structuring divisions. “I think it’s an awesome place to start at. It’s a good, sweet spot for what I’m good at, what I’m interested in, and what I can learn from in my early career in finance,” she shared.

As a Philosophy, Politics, and Economics major, Maretta took a diverse variety of classes across different disciplines at Yale-NUS. Additionally, she joined different student organisations within the broader National University of Singpore ecosystem to develop skills for her professional development.

“Learning to synthesise both my academic and extracurricular experiences definitely helpd me reflect, ‘package’, and ‘market’ myself to employers better,” Maretta shared.

On her time at Yale-NUS, Maretta expressed her gratitude towards the Centre for Professional and International Experience for encouraging and supporting her job applications. She shared how she also deeply appreciates the closeness of the Yale-NUS community, including her friendships with alumni. “I remember days where I’d just chat with (people who are now) alumni in their suites to clarify doubts and concepts and we’d all have a good laugh after,” she said.

On her advice for students who have not yet graduated, Sarah said, “As cliché as it sounds, your life as a student is so, so precious and you should savour every moment of it. Go out and have fun with your friends, take your afternoon naps, and go do all the things that you’ve been wanting to try out!”