ISSUE 49 by Republic Polytechnic, Alumni Services

Issue 49

BATTLE OF THE REPUBLIC ANNUAL GAMES PAGE 4

REFLECTIONS COMMUNITY ART FESTIVAL PAGE 6

MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS PAGE 12

www.alumni.rp.edu.sg

Work-Learn

CONTENTS

BOOTCAMP IN DIGITAL MARKETING & BRANDING

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Programme Details

Eligibility

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• Singaporean or PR • Completed National Service • Successfully pass a 3-step selection process involving: 1) Digital proficiency test 2) Activity/case-study 3) Interview

For more details, visit: https://bit.ly/2yrfZ4Q

2 4 6 8 10 11 12 14 16

EDITOR’S NOTE BATTLE OF THE REPUBLIC ANNUAL GAMES REFLECTIONS COMMUNITY ARTS FESTIVAL FLAME AWARDS SEG ALUMNI HOMECOMING ALUMNI MOVING SCREENING / DPHM ALUMNI NIGHT 2018 MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS EMPLOYMENT TIPS FROM WORKFORCE SINGAPORE ALUMNI@RP EMAIL / 5 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED

PUBLISHER Office of Student and Graduate Affairs Republic Polytechnic 9 Woodlands Avenue 9, Singapore 738964

Is this Programme for you? If a full-time job in Digital Marketing & Branding is of interest to you, register today at: http://bit.ly/WLBDMB

ISSUE 49

DREAM. AN RP ALUMNI MAGAZINE. EVERYTHING STARTS FROM A DREAM. dREam is a quarterly publication to keep graduates informed about the happenings in RP, continued education, career opportunities, networking sessions and more, in the hope of achieving their aspirations. No part of the publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed or implied in dREam are those of the authors or contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohwibited. Copyright © Republic Polytechnic.

EDITORIAL Editor Designer

Lu Qiuhui Shena Ingrid Design Pte Ltd

COPYEDITOR & PROOFREADER Kucinta Books Pte Ltd Biz No: 201429813D GENERAL ENQUIRIES Email dream@rp.edu.sg Enquiries www.alumni.rp.edu.sg Facebook www.fb.com/alumniRP

RP Editor’s note

I am sure the mention “Reflections, RP’s Community Arts Festival” is familiar to all of us and brings back fond memories. The festival is into its 12th this year, and it continues to bridge communities with its wide array of arts programmes. Also greatly remembered by those who used to be from CREATE CCAs, Flame Awards serves to recognise and encourage students who are doing well in the performing arts. Another long-standing RP-wide event is BRAG, which stands for “Battle of The Republic Annual Games”. First begun in 2007, BRAG’s objective is to foster bonding within and across the different schools in RP via sports and fitness activities. The event has introduced staff and students to many different sports in a friendly and non-competitive way. On 10 December, alumni and staff from Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science (DPHM) came together for a PHARMily Christmas Party. Apart from joining the usual Christmas party activities such as food and entertainment, participants also created six beautiful canvas paintings for a charity auction. A total of $300 were raised in the bidding sessions, and the sum was donated to the RP Needy Student Fund. It was indeed a meaningful and memorable night! Alumni members from the School of Engineering (SEG) also had a great catch-up session during their Alumni Homecoming event. They visited the relatively new Makerspace@RP and received a personalised keychain each. For us, it was heartwarming to see our alumni friends, and we hope the connection will remain intact even as they embark on their new careers. Also in this issue, find out how you can improve your online job search using employment tips shared by Workforce Singapore (WSG). If you are keen on a career in Digital Marketing & Branding, join our SkillsFuture Work-Learn Bootcamp, starting in March 2019. We have also shared the stories of two alumni, Lin Jingzhou and Nadia Bte Abdul Rashid, who benefited from the Specialist Diplomas offered by RP. Last but not least, we followed the story of alumna, Kelda Chua, who did a service-learning programme in Cambodia with an international NGO. She provided medical support to residents of a slum community and took part in the Angkor Wat Half Marathon, running alongside survivors of human trafficking and sexual abuse. As we wrap up the year, the Alumni Services team would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support for dREam magazine over the years. This issue will be the last hard-copy edition as we wish to be more environmentally friendly and cut down on paper usage. Future issues of dREam will be in a digital format available online inside RP Alumni Portal. Let’s all play our part in sustainable living!

KEEP YOUR PROFILE CURRENT! As an RP alumni, you will be able to update your personal particulars conveniently via the combination of SingPass and Myinfo platforms. Myinfo allows forms to be auto-filled with data pulled from various government agencies such as name, NRIC number, registered address, etc. Activate your profile now at https://www.singpass.gov.sg/ myinfo if you have not done so. Thereafter, Myinfo will auto-populate with your most updated Myinfo particulars each time you update your particulars in the RP Alumni Portal. Hence, making your profile update with RP easier than ever.

WE ARE GOING

e-dREam! THIS IS THE LAST HARDCOPY ISSUE

ALUMNI

TAKING

FINDING HIS NICHE A career in the robust infocomm tech sector was always on the cards for Jingzhou. As a fresh graduate armed with the Diploma in Infocomm Security Management, he mulled between jumping straight into the field and furthering his studies. The Earn and Learn Programme (ELP) provided Jingzhou with the option to do both. “Joining ELP opened up brand new opportunities in cloud computing, a highly sought-after field,” Jingzhou shared. “Since I already have relevant skills, I knew that this was the right step to start my career.” THE RIGHT RESOURCES Diving straight into ELP, Jingzhou landed an AWS consultant role at Trimantium GrowthOps, a marketing and IT consultancy firm. Placed in a fastpaced environment that required advanced skills and experience was daunting, but Jingzhou was determined to embrace every challenge. “We have to be flexible because each client’s requirements are unique,” he let on. “I’m glad that I can count on my mentor for advice. He even shares useful tech resources to enrich my learning!” FORGING AHEAD Entering the programme was all it took to paint Jingzhou a clear picture of his career pathway. “ELP is a great stepping stone into the industry. So far, I’ve scored a relevant job, gained good insight into this sector and built fundamental skills,” revealed the future cloud security specialist. “Keep an open mind, step out of your comfort zone and take advantage of all ELP has to offer. It is really worth it!”

SECURING HER FUTURE While her peers were applying for university, Nadia’s vision for life after graduation saw her stepping out into the working world as a logical route. Nadia shared, “ELP allowed me to build my portfolio and gain working experience while pursuing academic qualifications. And as a bonus, job security.” IN FAMILIAR WATERS Thanks to ELP, the entrepreneurial-minded student had plenty to contribute to her new job at Telepod, a transportation and tech startup. “Each ELP component is highly relevant to what I’m dealing with on a daily basis,” Nadia mused, “After learning how businesses adapt different technologies to stay relevant and successful, I worked on integrating a chatbot onto the Telepod app to further enhance customer experience.” A COMPETITIVE EDGE It’s been barely a few months into ELP, but Nadia has already gained a leg-up over her peers. “An unexpected perk was being able to network with my classmates. Some of them are industry professionals, and through our discussions, I’ve gained different insights that will come in handy in the future!” And for Nadia, who now plans to stay on with Telepod, these invaluable connections are but one of the many advantages the programme has to offer. “You have nothing to lose! Just go for ELP, and milk every opportunity that comes your way!”

LIN JINGZHOU

NADIA BTE ABDUL RASHID

AWS Consultant at Trimantium GrowthOps Limited

Marketing & PR Officer at Telepod

Pursuing a Specialist Diploma in Cloud Architecting & Management / Graduated in 2018 with a Diploma in Infocomm Security Management

Pursuing a Specialist Diploma in Digital Business / Graduated in 2018 with a Diploma in Mass Communication

Battle of the Republic Annual Games

RACHEL LYE SOH Alumna

The Battle of The Republic Annual Games (BRAG) 2018 has finally ended! An annual interschool competition that consists of five events, BRAG brings students and staff from each school together in their aim to be the Champion. Ultimate Team Republic Challenge (UTRC) provides exposure to the different sports. A total of 46 teams participated this year. RP alumni, Sajidah Bte Sazali, said: “There were a lot of good memories made and strong bonds forged with my team members!”

Avontuur De Republic is an adventure night race, organised by Republic Polytechnic’s Adventure Learning Club. This year, 17 teams had their teamwork and cognitive skills put to the test. The fastest team, Prata from the Staff and Alumni Category, completed the race in 2h 17mins. Campus Relay comprises Competitive Relay and Fun Run. Competitive Relay has three categories: Mixed, Men and Women. On the other hand, Fun Run is a mixture of experienced and leisure runners. The latter was one of the most popular events of BRAG, attracting 422 participants! League Game was the most anticipated event, which attracted 1,669 participants to games such as Basketball, Badminton, Futsal, Floorball, Frisbee and Captain Ball. This figure was a 53 percent increase from 2017!

RP Strides is a non-competitive event in which participants stroll around the school, enjoying the breeze and luscious greenery on RP Campus.

This year’s finale included sports and entertainment. Winning teams from staff and student played against each other. SHL staff, Amos Hoe, said, “The staff vs student game was interesting.” For entertainment, we invited Style Groovaz Crew (SGC) and Electronic Music Production (EMP), who captured the audience’s attention with their powerful dance moves. EMP was the DJ of the event, who pumped up the audience. SOH emerged overall champion at BRAG, followed by SHL in the second place, and SEG and SMC in third position.

JOANNE LAU YAN RONG Diploma in Customer Relationship & Service Management Graduated: May 2017 (now known as Diploma in Customer Experience Management with Business)

A visionary arts festival intended to bridge communities through inclusivity and diversity Reflections Community Arts Festival is built on the ideal of continually reflecting upon one’s roots. Now in its 12th year, the festival has transform to an ever-expanding melting pot of genres and cultures. Adopting the theme of “Elements”, Reflections 2018 took a step back from its fan-favourite workshops to refocus its attention on the arts.

This year’s festival boasted a South Agora favourite – funky, fun and fever-pitched showcase Inferno Heels helped to kick Reflections 2018 into high gear, with classic hits like “Boogie Wonderland”. On the other hand, Cymatic installation SKY KAVE, as well as World Drum Night IV: Even When No One Sees & Chaya: Kisah Dongeng, showcased a more experimental and contemporary experience. Finally, the praise worthy encore performance of “Boogie Wonderland” at Symphonie De Republique XI: Elements of Nature brought the festival to an amplified and artful close! Reflections 2018 has certainly proven to be a onefestival-fits-all experience that will continue to bring Singaporeans together for many years to come.

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STUDENT MERIT AWARD RP’s Flame Awards is an annual event celebrating the achievements of RP’s creative talents. It was held on 16 November this year. the show was an all-student-run event led by Campus Arts Productions. Gracing the event were our Principal Mr Yeo Li Pheow and Deputy Principal Mr Boo Chong-Han. During the ceremony, awards were given out to students for their academic and IG achievements in various categories, including Outstanding Student Award, Outstanding Alumni Award, and Student Merit Award. Various Group awards were also presented. In addition, the event acknowledged the integral role of instructors and advisors in students’ character development and their commitment to guiding students towards achieving the highest artistic standards.

FLAME AWARDS BY

NUR ARIANTY BTE DJONAEDE Diploma in Mass Communication / Graduated: May 2018

Heeding the theme, “Cirque Du Grand: Circus of the Greats”, crew members, participants and members of the audience all came with out-of-the-box costume ideas. The best-dressed award was given out during the event. After the awards presentation, performances by Dance and Music Interest Groups got the crowd off their seats and swaying along. The elaborate decorations at the foyer were curated and led by our Interest Groups, Art. titude and Operation Theatre. Silat IG made history when they clinched the coveted CREATE Group of the Year award for the first time; the group had won Overall Champion at the recent Silat IVP. The other winners at the Flame Awards included:

OUTSTANDING STUDENT AWARD

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD

CREATE GROUP OF THE YEAR

CREATE MOST IMPROVED GROUP

CREATE OUTSTANDING GROUP – MUSIC

WUSHU

REPLUG

CREATE OUTSTANDING GROUP – DANCE

CREATE OUTSTANDING GROUP – PACT

HIP HOP - STYLE GROOVAZ CREW

SILAT

CAMPUS ARTS PRODUCTIONS

It has been a great year for the RP Arts Scene and we look forward to more inspirations in 2019.

TIANG WENG TIM

STA Alumnus

Republic Polytechnic Movie Screening presented the second instalment of the Fantastic Beast series, The Crimes Of Grindelwald, on 17 November 2018, at Golden Village, Suntec City. The first instalment, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was screened in 2016. The early afternoon was filled with excitement and chatter as the attendees enjoyed a “fantastic” buffet lunch spread before the movie. It was a pleasant sight to observe alumni members from the different years coming together and mingling

On 28 September 2018, we celebrated the School of Engineering Alumni Homecoming 2018. The occasion was an opportunity for our alumni to catch up with one another. In total, 89 alumni came all the way to RP after work or classes to spend time with us. I am sure all the staff members who were present at the function were glad to know our former students have been doing well after leaving the polytechnic. We started the night with SEG Director, Jianguo, rallying our alumni with our motto, SEG CAN! Following that, Kiat Wah shared his own CET journey and SEG’s CET

programmes, and encouraged our alumni to embark on their own CET journey. Lastly, Melvin shared about the latest Republic Polytechnic’s Alumni Volunteer Programme, in which our alumni can help to contribute to SEG. We ended the night with buffet dinner and visit to Makerspace@RP, where our alumni collected a personalised keychain as a memento. BY

MELVIN NG

SEG Lecturer

with members of the Republic Polytechnic Alumni Committee (RPAC), reconnecting with their peers and also making new friends. This was the first RP event I attended since my graduation, and it was a great chance to catch up with my friends. I really felt that I belonged to the RP Alumni community as I sought advice on becoming an RPAC member and on the different ways for contributing as an alumnus. I would like thank the staff from the Office of Student and Graduates Affairs (OSG) and the RPAC for their time and effort in organising this successful event. I hope to see more committee members and friends at the next event!

DPHM ALUMNI NIGHT 2018 DPHM held a PHARMily Christmas Party for our alumni on 10 December 2018. The W1 Forum was transformed into a Christmas wonderland by DPHM lecturers, who spent an entire afternoon putting up almost 100 balloons, a Christmas tree, streamers and many tinsel snowmen and snowflakes. Some 60 DPHM alumni from the different graduation batches came back to RP for an evening of fun, good food, entertainment and great conversations. There were fringe activities such as a DIY cotton candy station as well as a Christmas photo booth with crazy props. Director SAS welcomed everyone and DPHM lecturers entertained the crowd with a Christmas Show, which consisted of Christmas carolling and a groovy dance item, much to everyone’s surprise and delight.

A highlight of the evening was our Art Jamming session. Bearing the theme, “Pharmily Paint for Hope”, alumni and staff worked in six groups to create six beautiful canvas paintings. The paintings were then put up for a Charity Auction during dinner. With our 2015 Alumni, Abigail Tan, as the auctioneer, all six paintings were sold to the highest bidders in hilarious “live” bidding and out-bidding sessions, raising a total of $300. Proceeds from the Charity Auction will be donated to RP Needy Student Fund. It was indeed a memorable and meaningful evening for both staff and alumni, and everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly. BY

CHIRADIP CHATTERJEE

SAS Senior Lecturer 10

MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS BY

KELDA CHUA SOI Alumna

HAGAR is an international NGO, founded in 1994 in response to the prevalence of extreme domestic and community violence affecting women and children in post-civil war Cambodia. Subsequently reaching to different parts of the world, HAGAR now resides in 10 countries, including Singapore, serving as a hybrid programme and fundraising office. I began my journey with HAGAR as a volunteer photographer, wearing a fresh red shirt and carrying heavy camera gear. I was later blessed with an unexpected opportunity to intern with the organisation for eight months while pursuing

my degree. Upon graduating, I continued as a volunteer and even travelled to Cambodia and Vietnam with them. Just this December, I went to Cambodia again. Every experience is different – in terms of the focus of the trip, the volunteers involved and, definitely, the emotions. This time round, I was on a medical mission trip to Phnom Penh, where I provided medical support to residents of a slum community. As it was the festive season, the volunteers blessed the children at HAGAR’s Community Learning Centre (HAGAR’s catch-up school) with Christmas gifts.

WHATEVER IT TAKES, FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES, TO RESTORE A BROKEN LIFE.

Over the weekend, we travelled to Siem Reap to take part in the Angkor Wat Half Marathon. It was my third time participating in the race. I ran 21km alongside survivors of human trafficking and sexual abuse. The race was definitely arduous, but it reminded me of my purpose of serving with HAGAR and supporting her mission to free and heal victims of human trafficking, slavery and abuse. So much was accomplished in 10 days. In addition to our duties, there was much meeting of old friends and getting to know new ones. Pictures paint a thousand words, and so here’s my story.

Scan the QR Code to view the video highlights of my trip here.

HAGAR will always have a significant place in my heart. Seeing the work done in HAGAR affirms that there is so much more that I can and will do: “Whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to restore a broken life”. You, too, can play a part in changing someone’s life. Join other passionate volunteers and me in making a difference today. Find out more at hagar.org.sg.

EMPLOYMENT TIPS FROM WORKFORCE SINGAPORE Three Ways to Improve Your Online Job Search

You’ve amassed years of work experience under your belt. You’ve got the paper qualifications and more. Now, you may be on the lookout for better opportunities to advance your career. And here’s where MyCareersFuture.sg comes in. Built for Singaporeans and PRs, this job portal under Workforce Singapore (WSG) provides a smarter jobs search service for jobseekers. By using AI to power skills-to-job matching, MyCareersFuture.sg identifies applicants’ skills in recommending highly relevant career opportunities. So whether you are experienced in Business Strategy, Negotiation or Project Management, MyCareersFuture. sg can recommend the most exciting opportunities for your next career move in the following three ways. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT: BIT.LY/MCF_REPUBLIC

FIND JOBS WITH GOVERNMENT SUPPORT MyCareersFuture.sg is the first portal that helps you find jobs with government support under Adapt & Grow. Simply check the box to view all available jobs in your search. One such programme is WSG’s Career Support Programme (CSP). If you are unemployed and over 40 years old, landing a job with a competitive salary could be a challenge. CSP encourages employers to hire Singapore Citizen PMETs, including those 40 years and older, who are actively searching for jobs but have been unemployed for six months or more. Additionally, if you’re interested in a career switch, the Professional Conversion Programme can help to reskill your competencies to take on new jobs. Under MyCareersFuture.sg, these jobs will be highlighted in the search results so that you know the additional support you have.

MATCH YOUR EXPERIENCE TO YOUR NEXT CAREER MOVE Built for Singaporeans and PRs, MyCareersFuture.sg allows you to search for jobs based on your skills or to discover suitable positions that you may not have considered. Add the career skills you have and MyCareersFuture.sg is able to show a percentage score of the skills match between a jobseeker and a job. It also shows adjacent jobs that require similar skills that you may not have considered.

SEARCH FOR SUITABLE JOBS BASED ON LOCATION Need to find a part-time job near to your home so that you can also attend to your family commitments? Search for jobs based on the location – North, South, East, West, Central or Islandwide – to improve your job match results.

GET REWARDED FOR READING

dREam

CALENDAR OF

EVENTS *Date subject to changes

January 1 JAN

New Year

10 TO 12 JAN

RP Open House 2019

26 TO 28 JAN

STA Global Game Jam

February 5 TO 6 FEB

Chinese New Year

7 FEB

STA Portfolio Day

March 8 MAR

Graduates' Night 2019

Quiz for Issue 49 How old is “Reflections, RP’s Community Arts Festival?” To participate, simply email your answer to dREam@RP.edu.sg with your name, NRIC, and Club Republic membership number. Closing date for the contest is 28 Feb 2019. All winners will be notified by email.

For more information, please visit www.suss.edu.sg/OH 16

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alumni@rp email—your complimentary, lifelong email account that immediately identifies you as member of the Republic Polytechnic community! Invoke your sense of pride and belonging to Republic Polytechnic by using an alumni@rp email account! alumni@rp uses the email address format userid@alumni.myrp.edu.sg and helps you stay connected with your friends long after you have graduated. It is your gateway to maintaining strong bonds with other alumni and also serves as a lifelong connection between you and your alma mater. • Large storage size for email (10GB for Outlook Live) • Password-protected 25GB online storage through Windows Live SkyDrive • Office Live Workspace—room for more than 1000 files Log in using your student account user ID and password. Email us at help-graduate@rp.edu.sg if you would like to reset password This service is currently available for PET (full-time) students only. We are looking into expanding this service to CET (part-time) students soon.

WAYS TO STAY

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ALMA MATER!

LET YOUR ALMA MATER ORGANISE YOUR GATHERING Have your professional, social and personal needs met through our diverse range of alumni programmes.

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USE YOUR CLUB REPUBLIC CARD TO GET BIRTHDAY GIFTS FOR YOUR LOVED ONES This card identifies you as an alumnus and offers you exclusive benefits and discounts. Apply for your Club Republic Card at www.alumni.rp.edu.sg

READ dREam MAGAZINE Be updated on campus activities through this complimentary publication. Also available online at www.alumni.rp.edu.sg

MAKE A DONATION BANK IN YOUR KARMA CREDIT Your gift will make a difference to the well-being of financially-needy students. It frees them from financial worries and allow them to concentrate on pursuing academic excellence at RP. Logon to www.alumni.rp.edu.sg