Home of Possibilities — Tales From My Tembusu College Experience (1/3)
Making it to a shortlist of 600 students, followed by a second round ‘open discussion’ (read: interview) with four other candidates and two of the college's professors on a topic that is made available to you only 15 minutes before. That was my first encounter with Tembusu College as an entity, a residential college within University Town (UTown) of National University of Singapore (NUS).
When you enter the main entrance of Tembusu College, its vague motto, Home of Possibilities, hangs above it. That gave me much comfort. For ever since graduating from secondary school, I have yearned for the systematic freedom to pursue my own ambitions on my own terms.
And as rigid as my previous life stage (3 years in polytechnic and 2 years in the army) seemed, I have come to appreciate that those who understand the system can bend it to their will (most of the time anyways). But Tembusu College welcomed my admission to their space with an open chance to make my own. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I accepted this invitation almost immediately.
Four weeks into this new stage in life, I found myself head of an 11-month project that brought 28 people across four islands in Indonesia to appreciate the complexities of nature conservation. I knew going into the project that it was going to demand all of my experience and skills that I had accumulated over the years. Prior to this opportunity, I had actively sought out leadership positions throughout my life because that was in my nature. I developed interpersonal skills during my Nanyang Polytechnic education in Hospitality and Tourism Management. And while in the army, I learnt how to have long term resource management and capacity to deal with crises so that things keep going.
Those experiences, coupled with the collective potential of a group of peers that had yet to been struck down by harsh realities, resulted in the production of my first documentary, as well as the growth from experiencing the highs and lows associated with being the first student-led project under the NUS International Relations Office's STEER (STudent Expedition for Engagement and EnRichment) programme. We also left a legacy that was repeated at least six more times by subsequent generations.
But although we had succeeded in completing what we set out to do. I did not feel like I succeeded. Yes, we crossed the finish line, but I felt like I limped towards the end - battered and bruised by the difficult hurdles that are part and parcel of such projects. This led to a sort of existential crisis. I had put everything I knew (or thought I knew) going into this, and this was all I could show for my efforts?
Sure, it would be difficult, but in the grand scheme of things, I realised I needed to learn how to handle much more if I were to succeed in my goals in life. What could I do from here now that I have a bullet point on my resume but newfound burdens of doubt on my shoulder? In that moment, the motto, Home of Possibilities, still applies. In this place, I was allowed to pioneer in something - which is an experience afforded to many others in Tembusu. I set my sights to reconcile with the doubts that I now had following an eventual first year in the college. The journey that I was about to embark on was beyond my wildest expectations.
This article is a three-part special detailing some of my key takeaways from a critical phase in my life - three years of being a student at Tembusu College, National University of Singapore. And while I can talk for hours on what a gift it has been, I would like to share my experience in three simple lines:
A Motto — Home of Possibilities
A Title — Heart of Negotiation
A Piece of Advice — Embrace Serendipity
Click on them to read the other two entries.
