Issue 37 l December 2015
Networking Session with Board of Governors Managing others at the workplace 1st to Offer Specialist Diploma in Advanced Composites
www.rp.edu.sg/grad
www.rp.edu.sg/careerfair2016/home.aspx
22 January 2016 (Day 1)
25 January 2016 (Day 2)
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Biomedical Sciences, Digital Media, Information Technology, Healthcare, Hospitality and F&B, Financial Services, Pharmaceuticals, Retail, Social Services, SME, Sports and Wellness Co-organised by
CONTENTS 03
Education Fair 2015
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Alumni Networking Session with BOG
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Kellystwocents
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Reflections 2015
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Managing others at the workplace – Lessons from RP
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Health. Wellness. Body. Lifestyle
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Well rounded entrepreneur builds strong business acumen with a global top 1% university
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It’s FREE and it’ll last you a lifetime! 5 Ways to Stay Connected
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Calendar of Events
DRINK
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POWER PROTEIN
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1st to Offer Specialist Diploma in Advanced Composites
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Publisher Office of Student and Graduate Affairs Republic Polytechnic 9 Woodlands Avenue 9, Singapore 738964
Editorial 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 prohibited. Copyright © Republic Polytechnic
Editor Nurhadi Khan B H K Designer Konclave Studios
Editorial Alumni
Garrett Yap, Kelly Kanaga, Nurul Ain, Diana Gloria, Tan Yanru, Png Siyun
General Enquiries Email dream@rp.edu.sg Enquiries www.rp.edu.sg/grad Facebook www.fb.com/alumniRP
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Editor’s note Season’s Greetings! Oh yes, it’s that time of the year again! Got that fuzzy feeling yet? As the Christmas lights come up and we get into the mood of giving, we realise that one whole year has passed by. As we reflect on the year 2015, we would find that it was filled with joyous occasions, sad moments, as well as visions of hope. We hope everyone has achieved what they set out to achieve the past year, and that the time has been fruitfully spent. Most of all, we certainly hope that all of you spend a lovely Christmas with your family. While we are having fun and enjoying the holiday season, there are about 45% of our student population who require some form of financial assistance. In the spirit of giving, we would highly encourage you to contribute to RP’s Needy Student Fund, initiated by Republic Polytechnic (RP) to help students from low-income families to tide over financial difficulties or unprecedented crises. Every dollar counts. If you wish to make a difference in our students’ lives, please make a contribution through http://www.rp.edu.sg/sponsorships_making_ your_gift.aspx today! Well, to spice things up this holiday season, we have several exciting events coming up in January 2016! • Volunteer yourself to be part of the Alumni Ambassadors for Open House 2016. Mingle with prospective parents and students at the RP Open House on 9 January 2016 and at your school’s booth. • Alternatively, you can just come down and soak in the atmosphere and stand a chance to win a mystery prize at the Graduate Services booth.
Keep your profile current! Just drop us an email at help-graduate@rp.edu.sg with your NRIC/FIN, and most upto-date personal particulars; we promise not to send you Nigerian bank transfer requests, lame forwarded jokes or chain letters.
From all of us at dREam, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May 2016 bring new aspirations and better fortunes for us all.
LIDAYS
LIC HO
2016 PUB
’s Day New Year 2016 • Friday 1 January
New Year Chinese 2016 • Monday day 8 February 2016 • Tues 9 February ay Good Frid2016 • Friday h 25 Marc Day Labour • Sunday* 1 May 2016 Vesak Day • Saturday 2016 21 May
Puasa ay Hari Raya • Wednesd 6 July 2016 Day National 2016 • Tuesday 9 August Haji day Hari Raya er 2016 • Mon emb 12 Sept li rday Deepava 2016 • Satu ber 29 Octo ay* s Day Christma r 2016 • Sund mbe 25 Dece ay will be
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PS: We received feedback that you loved our Alumni Calendar which we have been issuing for the past three years. Hence, we have included a complimentary Alumni Calendar 2016 with this issue of dREam! Display the calendar boldly in your house or office to let everyone know you are proud to be an RP alumnus!
holiday.
l at
ates’ Porta
Gradu visit the please .sg/grad details, For more www.rp.edu
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Do your prefer to receive your dream in hardcopy Simply login to Graduates’ Portal at www.rp.edu.sg/grad to indicate your preference under your personal profile now! (applicable for local addresses only)
Thank you for making Education Fair 2015@RP a success!
We have 50 top Tier Universities/PEIs participating in this year’s Fair with about 3000 students visiting the booths
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The Alumni Networking Session with the members of RP Board of Governors and Senior Management was indeed a great and remarkable experience. Being the emcee of the event was a great honour for me as I had the opportunity to host an event for our alumni. Living in a fast and busy environment, we don’t have much time to meet fellow friends and facilitators. I was happy to host the event and catch up with my facilitators and fellow alumni. Taking selfie moments is a growing trend and there were plenty of such selfies and funny moments captured as part our collective memories. The highlight of the event was the official photography session. While waiting for the arrival of the guest of honour, everyone gathered around the stage to be arranged for the photo shoot, which the official photographer did a good job of. While the RP board of governors and senior management made their way to view the RP Alumni Family tree, everyone helped themselves to the refreshments. All Alumni who attended the event received a special mementos and a collar pin. This event was a true success, with the help of Graduate Services and the Republic Polytechnic Alumni Committee. - Article by Diana Gloria Sangari, Alumna 2013
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Life after my studies in Republic Polytechnic, has been a Roller Coaster. Before I graduated, I already knew that I was going to be my own boss. I wanted to work for myself and achieve financial and time freedom. I wanted to take up risks at an age when I can still afford to. My passion is promoting healthy active lifestyle so I started a wellness business with my friends. It is a blessing to be able to receive messages each day from people expressing how confident and happy they finally feel! It has been a roller coaster over the past 4 years because I always felt like there was something I was missing. Once I found that out, it was a revelation indeed! I have always wanted to be in front of the camera and knew I could be great at being a comedian. I didn’t want to venture out of my wellness industry so I bought comedy into my business. The whole journey of weight loss is hilarious if you have ever experienced it. I started making short videos on what are the crazy things people do. It definitely hit home for many people because almost everyone is guilty of it. The success of it inspired me to do videos on my 06
Daily Indian life which immediately became a Hit on Facebook. I created a brand for myself, “KELLYSTWOCENTS” This definitely helped my business because I became the “FUNNY” Indian girl who promotes wellness and fitness. It made me more approachable and people felt comfortable with me as they know I wouldn’t judge. In life, never be afraid to be someone who stands out. The person people point at and say “Is she/he crazy?” Never live life with regrets. After doing my videos and watching the reactions of it from the public, I realised something really important. You can literally design your life the way you want it and become whoever you want to be. This is just the beginning for me. www.facebook.com/kellystwocents - Article by Kelly Kanaga, Alumna of 2011
You have great ideas about governance, curriculum, event planning and communications. Why not share these with your alma mater? Be part of the Republic Polytechnic Alumni Committee and be a voice in the polytechnic’s affairs. Are you ready for the challenge? Head over to https://www.rp.edu.sg/grad for more details!
www.rp.edu.sg/grad
help-graduate@rp.edu.sg
www.facebook.com/AlumniRP
Reflections 2015// A telling of Our Stories Reflections Arts Festival 2015 returns for its’ 9th edition, with more artistic collaborations and cultural fusions It has been another successful year of Reflections Community Arts Festival hosted by Republic Polytechnic; The Republic Cultural Centre. During its span of 3 weeks from 17th October to 7th November, the Woodlands campus was transformed into an artistic cultural hub, with music, visual arts, drama and dance taking centre stage. Exploring the theme of “Our Stories”, the programmes took a deeper look at the struggles that we faced in the past and the eventual triumph over adversity. Reminiscence, a dramatic performance by Pentas Karyawan and Indian Cultural Group, was presented in dual-languages, evoking a deeper connection to their cultural roots. The students too worked tirelessly to not only take part in performing but also taking charge in the conceptualising of several projects throughout the festival. Students like Zainulrahman Bin Motalif, and Kaiser Campos, worked together as Co-Music Directors of the RP Band Segment for An Evening of Music, Fun & Friends. Reflections 2015 also served as a platform for many like-minded artists to come together. It was mutual respect that acted as the glue binding them together. “The appreciation towards our fellow artists remains very high, so that arts will not be a separate entity, but very much a part of their daily lifestyles” said Riduan Zalani, the artistic director of World Drum Night III, and the recent recipient of the prestigious Young Artist Award given by the National Arts Council. “We have started a journey of bringing different artistes together to create a seamless production with World Drum Night III and Reminiscence. I hope to see more collaborations like this as well as possibly a multi-lingual play that will bring together all our drama groups to do one play,” said Mr Kalyanam.
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We look forward to Reflections Arts Festival 2016, as the festival will be celebrating a decade of bringing the arts to the community.
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FIRST
to offer Specialist diploma in Advanced Composites Republic Polytechnic is the first and only polytechnic to offer the specialist diploma in Advanced Composites to support the growing needs of the composite industry. This one-year, part-time programme is an excellent platform for you to develop technical knowledge and upgrade your skills and qualifications in the development, manufacturing, testing and repairing of advanced composite materials. Course content is applicable in several fields of engineering, such as aerospace, construction, transport engineering and general manufacturing. Most of the participants from the 1st graduating class are sponsored by companies such as Rolls Royce, Nordam, DSO, ST Kinetics and many others. Some highlights of the programme: - Trainers are experts in composites from a wide spectrum of industries. • Rolls Royce • Composites Cluster Singapore • Hope Technik • Admiralty International Pte Ltd. • Setsco • Nanyang Technological University • Newcastle University • TESTIA Asia Pacific Airbus Group)
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- A pathway to achieve external certification • Ultrasonic Testing Level 1 Personnel Certification in Non-Destructive Testing (PCN) offered by Setsco upon fulfilling on certification requirements) The application of the course will start in Jan 2016. For more information, please go to http://www.rp.edu.sg/ace_specialist_diploma.aspx or contact sally_ang@rp.edu.sg.
Like many of my peers back then, I was rather lost after my O’Levels in 2006. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. My father worked in the Logistics line and I think it rubbed off on me and I decided I would enrol in a logistics based course to see if it was something I would enjoy. The first few months in Republic Polytechnic were really tough for me, because I was not a person who enjoyed socialising. I enjoyed doing things by myself. However, the course structure in RP was such that we all had to work in teams. We could not choose our team members. I was forced to step out of my shell and learn how to interact and work with different people every day to solve different problems. I learnt how important communication was and how to communicate more effectively, whether it was with my group members, or when I was making a presentation. This has helped me greatly in my work today as a bistro manager, where I have to manage staff of different ages and backgrounds.
Managing others at the workplace – Lessons from RP Article by Ms. Png Siyun , 2008 Alumnus
As everyone knows, it is not easy to manage others at work. We catch up with RP alumnus, Png Siyun, as she shares with us how her time in RP has helped prepare her in facing the challenges of managing others at her workplace. Graduated from Republic Polytechnic with a Diploma in Industrial and Operations Management majoring in Logistics and Supply Chain management
I am sure you will agree that one the biggest challenges in most workplaces is managing your relationship with your co-workers. You can learn a lot of things through reading books, but learning to work with other people is something that you can’t pick up from a book. It is something you can only learn through experience and I am still learning every day about how I can better manage my relationship with my bosses and the people under my care. I think my education in Republic Polytechnic gave me a head start in this aspect. Apart from managing my staff and ensuring the bistro is smoothly run, I also have to coordinate the replenishing of stocks in the Swedish Food Section of the bistro. This is where my knowledge of supply chain management has proven most relevant. My job isn’t a very glamorous job, but I am happy where I am. I gain a lot of satisfaction from helping out customers. IKEA is an employer that believes in developing its employees so I think I am in very good hands. I will be moving to the furniture section in a few months and I am looking forward to my new deployment where I will be able to apply more of the skills that I have learnt in RP. 11
HEALTH. WELLNESS. BODY. LIFESTYLE Health and Wellness has become all about flashing your abs on Instagram nowadays. It’s no longer about protecting yourself from health issues and looking young and fit as you grow older.
FOOD:
FITNESS:
MODERN “DIET”:
MODERN “FITNESS”:
Cut CARBS and anything that tastes good from your life and weigh yourself daily. Be depressed because you are not losing weight. Stop Diet. Binge for 30 days. Restart Diet.
Get sweaty in the gym. Take Selfie after workout. No Muscles or Abs after 1 week? Change workout plan.
This kind of diet is the same as asking an Indian girl like me to stay away from rice. Both are impossible to last.
WHAT ACTUALLY GETS YOU RESULTS? EAT MORE to Lose weight! People who really know what they are doing are eating every 3 hours because they know that by eating 5-6 meals a day, you are constantly forcing your body to work to break the food. “METABOLISM”. If you are eating every 3 hours, clearly you are eating small quantity of food which means low calories. When our body gets fewer calories at a time, they are utilised for burning and not stored as fat.
MODERN “JOGGER”: Jog for 45 minutes. End it by jogging to Macdonald for post workout meal. 200 calories burned. 500 calories gained. #truestory IRONIC because 80% of their body change is going to come from food! Only 20% is Fitness. Exercising is as simple as getting a skipping rope and skipping for about 60secs with 60 secs rest in between. Do for about 10 sets. This HITT workout continues burning for about 24 hours. When it comes to food and fitness, knowledge is not bliss. Surround yourself with people who know what they are talking about. Possibly fitness and wellness professionals. That’s the first step in overall Healthy Active Lifestyle. By Kelly Kanaga Lifestyle Coach, WellnessXperts www.facebook.com/kellystwocents
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Well rounded entrepreneur builds strong business acumen with a global top 1% university We catch up with Joey Sim, alumnus of 2011. She tells us more about her pursuit in the field of entrepreneurship following the degree and Masters programme that she took after her time in RP.
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What programme did you enrol for at Ngee Ann-Adelaide (NAA)? I enrolled for the Bachelor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (BIE) degree programme offered by the University of Adelaide (UoA) through Ngee Ann-Adelaide (NAA) Education Centre from 2011 to 2013.Though my diploma had taught me the relevant knowledge of the industry (i.e. the operational side of business), I was convinced that a business degree would further equip me with the marketing and finance knowledge to better prepare myself to be an entrepreneur. In NAA, my best takeaway from the programme was from one of the modules, New Venture Planning. Due to my engineering-related studies earlier in Republic Polytechnic, I was able to quickly relate to the module and learnt how to delineate thoughts and ideas to better align with the concepts I had for my businesses.
entrepreneurship, with a national (local), regional and global perspectives.
With your stellar GPA score, why did you not try to apply for a degree programme at any of the local universities but had chosen NAA to further your education instead? A degree programme with any of the local universities would probably take about three years to complete. A full-time school life on a full-fledged campus would not really be a suitable or a nurturing environment for entrepreneurs like myself. Offered only on a part-time basis, this programme is the only bachelor degree on innovation and entrepreneurship in Singapore.
Tell us more about the curriculum, the teaching methodology and your favourite lecturers. What, in your opinion stands out most? Classes were always engaging and filled with activities, exercises and games to promote students’ critical thinking in a competitive business environment such as Singapore’s. With its intensive weekend classes teaching mode, the programme is best suited for professionals who desire to pursue a degree that boasts of strong academic rigor and practical industry applications.
As this is a part-time programme, are you currently working in a related field? After graduation, what will you be pursuing, i.e. what is your long-term career goal? How do you think this programme will help bring you closer to that? While studying for my degree, I was already running a sports business and at the same time. After graduation, I went on to the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to pursue a Master of Science in Technopreneurship and Innovation, which further provided me with a deeper understanding of the processes, risks, rewards, motivations and societal impacts of innovation and
How different is it studying at NAA, as compared to your student life earlier at RP? Describe the school environment and campus culture in NAA – what do you like most? At NAA where I was the youngest in the class, many of my classmates were already parents and had very successful careers, which boosted the quality of classroom and project discussions and provided me with valuable opportunities to engage with and to learn from each of them. In comparison, RP had a more youthful and fun-filled campus life. Transition into university life quietened down my life a whole lot which helped me gain a greater clarity on life and allowed me to reflect what I want to achieve out of it.
What advice do you have for your juniors in RP who may be looking for a school or programme to further their education after graduation? Would you recommend NAA, and why? I would definitely recommend NAA to all my peers and juniors! Diploma holders of local polytechnics get advanced standing into the undergraduate programme. What’s more, NAA’s bond-free scholarships provide generous financial assistance to students who demonstrate academic excellence to help alleviate their financial burden to a certain extent.
It’s free and it’ll lasts you a lifetime! alumni@rp email – Your complimentary, lifelong email account that immediately identifies you as a member of the Republic Polytechnic community! Evoke 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 maintain 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
3 easy steps to start using your alumni@rp email account!
1
Go to URL www.rp.edu.sg/grad
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Click on the Check Email button found on the flash banner
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Login using the same method you logged in with when you were a student.
If you have any enquiries or are unable to login, simply email us at help-graduate@rp.edu.sg
5 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR ALMA MATER
Make a donation bank in your karma credit 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 allows them to concentrate on pursuing academic excellence at RP. Logon to www.rp.edu.sg/grad
Give a shout-out to your alma mater Stay connected with your alma mater through the official RP alumni Facebook fanpage at www.facebook.com /alumniRP
Let your alma mater organise your gathering Have your professional, social and personal needs met through our diverse range of alumni programmes.
Read dREam Magazine Be updated on campus activities through this complimentary quarterly publication. Also available online at www.rp.edu.sg/grad
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.rp.edu.sg/grad 15
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