Humans of NIE is an initiative introduced by the 30th Trainee Teachers’ Club. For this initiative, the 30th TTC has interviewed various members of the NIE community. These interviews will be featured on VOICES and the @humans.of.nie Instagram page. Snippets of these exclusive interviews will be on @humans.of.nie, while full access to these interview transcripts will only be available on VOICES. Do look out for special messages from our interviewees to you! The 30th TTC hopes that through Humans of NIE, the different members of NIE’s many sub-communities will be able to get to know each other better.
Our Human of NIE for this issue of VOICES is Ron. Aw Sze Kiat Ron is the current president of the Sport Science and Management (SSM) Society. He is a Year 2 student teacher in the SSM degree programme.
Q: What do you like about NIE?
A: I like that NIE is just a small community. It feels like everybody knows each other. Seeing the same familiar faces everyday gives NIE a more homely feel to it.
Q: What is your favourite place in NIE?
A: Favourite place in NIE would definitely be the canteen. As cliché as it sounds, it is where the most memories were forged, at least for me. I still remember the orientation days spent in the canteen laughing and just getting to know each other more. I had so many ridiculous and mindless conversations with my friends in the canteen. The food is honestly quite nice too. And Affordable!
Q: What is your most memorable experience in NIE?/ What is the fondest memory you have of NIE?
A: The fondest memory I have of NIE was the first time I stepped into campus. It was day 1 of orientation camp. I felt so lost. Being in a new place, surrounded by new people. Fast forward almost 2 years and every corner of the campus seems to be in the back of head. Familiar faces everywhere I turn.
Q: Is there anyone you are grateful for in the NIE community?
A: Of course. I am more than grateful to all my friends who make school so much more enjoyable. Especially Dr John Komar. (Yes, I consider him as a friend) During the first few weeks of my leadership journey, we were very unsure with most of the procedures. Dr John took his time and patiently clarified what we had to do. I think without his guidance, my team and I would not have been able to do what we have done.
Q: Who means the most to you in the NIE community? Why?
A: Honestly, it would have to be the group of friends who tolerate my jokes and nonsense on a daily basis, especially in school. If I had to last a day in school without them, I think you can safely assume that I will be at home.
Q: Is there an interesting life experience that you would like to share?
A: This might not be very interesting to many, but during my term as president, I had (still have) very capable leaders. Given my personality, I tend to micro-manage the tasks.
But their competence has really allowed me to take a back seat and let them run the show. To me, this was interesting because in the past 20 years, I always controlled my members and micro-managed their work. This time, after giving them the autonomy, I was afraid that it would backfire. But I’m really really happy that it didn’t, and I’m proud of all of them!
Q: How is it like being president of your club? What have you learnt in your term?
A: Being president of SSM Society has been a very enjoyable experience for me. I was put out of my comfort zone and I was able to challenge myself. During my term, I learnt to be more responsible. Being put in the highest position in the hierarchy has taught me how to look out for and take care of the others. Sometimes, the most unpopular decision is the one that you must take. It is not easy, but as a leader, the best decision may not always be the one that makes everybody happy.
Q: What would you like to say to your club members?
A: I would like to sincerely thank every single one of my members. We have made a difference to the community and done things that was previously not done before. All the time that you have sacrificed for society has not gone unnoticed. Let’s continue to make the community a better place for everyone, even if we are no longer in SSM Society.
Comments