Dear fellow Assuntarians,
I am profoundly humbled, honoured, and privileged that you have elected me to serve as the President of the Assunta Alumni. From my heart, I say thank you.
Having served in the committee under the stewardship of various presidents, I certainly have big shoes to fill. I would like to take this occasion to thank my Immediate Past President, Angeline Koit for her dedicated service. She led us through various projects that benefitted our Assunta community, especially under the difficult restrictions of the pandemic. Congratulations to the new board members and I look forward to working with you as we aim to fly the Assunta flag high. The incoming board has amongst its members, 2 past presidents, members who have served in previous committees as well as those who are new to the alumni. I must say I am very fortunate to have these voices of experience in my team who will be able to provide valuable insights as we forge ahead this term. At the same time, I am grateful for those who have gamely taken up the mantle to serve the alumni for the very first time.
I am very glad for the inclusion of new members as this was one of my election manifestos. I believe we need this injection of new blood to move the alumni forward. Every year we have new graduates. Hence our numbers are increasing from year to year. However, more often than not, many of these Assuntarians disappear into the abyss of further studies, of looking for employment, of matrimony. We therefore need to bring these new alumni back into the Assunta family. Why is that so important you may ask? Alumni are one of the most loyal supporters of an institution and an ever-growing group of ambassadors for our alma mater. Alumni can be great role models for current students and offer practical support to them as they embark on their new careers. While we may move away as we build our future lives after school, maintaining meaningful relationships with the alumni help us keep in touch and build our networks. Once an Assuntarian, always an Assuntarian.
The strength of an alumni also contributes to the reputation of a school. If the relationship between the alumni and the school stalls once they leave school, their message about the school becomes outdated and could reflect badly on the progress and achievements the school has achieved since then. We therefore need to maintain that positive relationship with our alumni so that the messages they share about our school is positive and current. Thus, maintaining communication with our alumni makes them a part of our school’s future and not just its past. Once an Assuntarian, always an Assuntarian.
In fact, the matter of bringing in fresh blood into the alumni was also brought up by Sr. Enda Ryan Fmm in her video message to the alumni during the recent AGM. She noted the big gap in generations of alumni during alumni activities and urged older alumni to get to know and engage younger alumni, especially those in the 2000s, so that the “seeds that we have sown will bear fruit down the different generations.” How do we engage the younger alumni though? Once school going Assuntarians graduate, it can be quite a challenge to get in touch and keep in touch with them. The conversation needs to begin while they are still in school. We need to interact with these Assuntarians at various touchpoints throughout their student lifecycle so that we can begin a cohesive and engaging relationship with these students until they transition into alumni.
As an alumni organisation, we are committed to bringing our alumni of various generations together. As an Assuntarian I have always been proud to note the many, many times Assuntarians are always coming together to help the school, to help one another. We have a wealth of Assuntarians – skilled, experienced, successful – spanning various industries. As young Assuntarians graduate from school and venture out into the world, this is where older Assuntarians can step in to guide their younger sisters. We want to look at meaningful activities that can lead to meaningful interactions. Therefore, one of the activities we will be looking at will be networking events as an avenue for Assuntarians across generations to connect with one another.
Most of our engagement with our alumni are via activities usually held in school like Breakfast with Teachers and the bi-annual Picnic. However, as more Assuntarians graduate from school and new alumni emerge in this day and age of technological advances, we need to modify our communications strategies and try to engage our alumni through various other means. One of these strategies would be the exploration of innovative, tech-friendly approaches to increase connectivity amongst our alumni.
Of course, we intend to maintain our physical activities which have been dearly missed by all due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. One of the first activities we hope to bring back will be the bi-annual Picnic. So do look forward to announcements on that soon. We have also resumed with Breakfast with Teachers, organised early this year by the previous committee. Another programme that is in the works is the “For Assuntarians, By Assuntarians” programme – a series of activities, either leisure or self-developmental in nature – conducted by Assuntarians for Assuntarians. Some of you may already have had a taste of it in the Coffee Painting activity. As restrictions have lifted post-pandemic, we plan to resume some of the activities physically in school as well.
All the presidents who have preceded me have taken on the responsibility to realise our school’s vision. We want to build on our alumni so that the values and the spirit that were inculcated in school can be extended into our future lives. To make sure that the Assunta Spirit lives on. This term, as that responsibility falls on my shoulders, I am blessed to have with me my committee as we work together to realise our objectives and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce them to you, my fellow alumni.
Vice President – Chris Chan
Secretary – Carmel Dharamaraj
Treasurer – Adeline Chan
Committee Members
- Marianne Rozario
- Deborah Fiona Nonis
- Vivienne Ong-Edmonds
- Jacinta Vythilingam
- Sophia Chow
- Tiffany Tong
It has been a journey for me as an Assuntarian alumni – from providing a helping hand at events to serving as committee member till my appointment now as president – and like all journeys, it has been filled with joy and laughter, tears and frustration, but through it all, there was always a sense of fulfilment, of giving back to my alma mater and my community. This journey will continue, even after my term of presidency, and it is a journey that I hope all of you, as alumni, will take together with me.
Thank you and God Bless,
Tjeannee Yeoh
President, Assunta Alumni