Class Notes

CLASS We are almost halfway through 2022; what have our Tanglin alumni been up to? Let’s hear it from them. NOTES

Remember Charlotte Harris (2009 cohort) from issue 36 of The Voice? Back then, she was preparing for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (TWAC) and now a few months later, she and her friend Jess have fully unlocked the achievement of rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic! On top of that, the duo has done it in record time by breaking the world record for the fastest women’s pair to cross the Atlantic. Congratulations to them both!

We also heard from Tanglin alumni of the 2013 cohort and Anira Perera is one of them. She is currently living in Italy and working for Novartis, a pharmaceutical company that specialises in providing solutions to address the evolving needs of patients worldwide. At the moment, Anira is working on a small, but exciting manufacturing site that produces a radioactive therapy for prostate cancer. Truly worthwhile work, if you ask us.

And in case you don’t already know, Yin Noe (2013 cohort) is Alumni of the Year 2021 for Professional Excellence! You can read why she was nominated for the award on page 39.

Another noteworthy alumnus from the 2013 cohort is Jack Ridley. He’s currently living in Edinburgh where he is studying a Master’s in Sound Design at the University of Edinburgh. Jack told us that his journey after Tanglin had been a strange, winding one. It began with a short stint of mechanical engineering at university, which swiftly transformed into a degree focusing on performance art. Then through a number of odd turns, it led him into the world of sound design. Jack first worked in London’s theatre scene,

Clockwise: Charlotte Harris and Jess, Liam Gibford, Britt Wilen, Yin Noe, Kimberley Duff

designing sounds and composing music for performances, and now he is returning to university to learn the technical skills of the worlds of game audio and audio software design. He said, “don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself changing in unexpected ways and remember that at the end of the day - regardless of what dreams and goals you do or don’t achieve, your greatest hope for finding joy in life is through other people.”

Liam Gibford (formally Lydia Gibbs, 2013 cohort) wrote in to tell us that he is currently living and working in Leuchars, Scotland, near St Andrews. After Tanglin, he went on to study the classics in the University of Wales Trinity St David and graduated in 2016. He is currently part of the Royal Military Police in the British Army and has been there since completing his training in October 2019. Liam is also engaged to his partner, Zephyr Gibford, and is due to get married in October 2022 after a three-year engagement so our heartiest congratulations!

In the meantime, teaching right at Tanglin is Kimberley Duff from the 2003 cohort! She is not only the Computing & ICT Specialist at the Senior School, she’s also the Assistant Head of Year 12. Kimberley has led numerous projects and mentored many students at Tanglin, including the student organisers behind last school term’s Hack-lation (issue 36, The Voice) so she has been pretty busy. Kimberley also told us that she got married and gave birth to her daughter two years ago in 2020 – double happiness indeed!

Britt Wilen, also from the 2003 cohort, is now a Global Creative Director living and working in Los Angeles for advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. Britt, who has been married for nine years and recently purchased a house in Beachwood Canyon (the neighbourhood just beneath the infamous Hollywood sign), said that her current role allows her to work on exciting projects such as Toyota’s sponsorship of the Olympics and Paralympics as well as the travel brand Expedia. She is also a part time filmmaker and photographer with many independent projects that she produces, directs, films, and edits. Between her professional and personal endeavours, her work has been featured on People, Hoda & Jenna, AdAge, ESPN, Thrillest, Campaign US, and many more. Britt counts a recent career highlight to be last year when Mindy Kaling (American actress/comedian) showed her appreciation for Britt’s 2021 Super Bowl work by saying, “I’ve never been more moved than watching that Toyota ad”. During the pandemic Britt temporarily relocated to Newfoundland, Canada where she began writing and recording an album which is set to be released once she and her husband settled back into life in California. ■ Sounds like our alumni are living their best lives out there and if you have something you’d like to share with our community, please drop us a line at alumni@tts.edu.sg or visit the Tanglin Alumni website at alumni.tts.edu.sg. We are always happy to hear from former staff and students!