Looking to the future: Yale-NUS forms new alumni club

In an exciting new chapter for Yale-NUS College, its alumni have established Yale-NUS Club, the College’s independent alumni association. The Club emerged from a desire to maintain the strong sense of camaraderie among the Yale-NUS community, including its alumni, students, faculty and staff. The association is autonomous, but aims to work with the National University of Singapore and Yale University as it carries out its mission of building a vibrant and engaged network of graduates, to keep the Yale-NUS spirit alive after the College’s final cohort graduates in 2025.

Members of the newly-formed Club gathered for a four-day retreat in March, marking the first in-person meeting of the Executive Committee (Exco). The inaugural Exco comprises seven members from around the globe: Khwa Zhong Xuan (Class of 2020, President), Tinesh Indrarajah (Class of 2017, Vice President), Adlin Zainal (Class of 2017, Secretary), Elson Ong (Class of 2017, Treasurer), and Ordinary Committee members Ami Firdaus (Class of 2017, Madi Lommen (Class of 2020) and Vasudha Kataruka (Class of 2019).

For Zhong Xuan, his passion for preserving the strong sense of community that is a key part of the Yale-NUS experience is the main reason he became involved in alumni work.

“Every time I return to campus for an event, I find myself surrounded by faces that are immediately familiar to me, and I’m always pleasantly surprised at the level of comfort that I am attuned to even after not seeing some of the other members of the community for years. I think it’s this lasting sense of community that I’m driven to maintain – it’s something that’s so special to Yale-NUS, and I can’t bear to see it get lost after the closure,” said Zhong Xuan.

He expressed his eagerness to create a space for Yale-NUS community members, past and present, to come together, imagine, and actualise ways the community will exist moving forward.

The retreat provided the Exco with an opportunity to think creatively and envision the future of the Club. During the retreat, alumni collaborated with current students to brainstorm potential opportunities for connection, collaboration, and contribution to the College’s mission and values.

Vasudha Kataruka (Class of 2019), an Ordinary Committee Member of the Exco expressed the importance that this community-building work for Yale-NUS held for her.

“I am where I am today because of Yale-NUS – the education I received, the people I met, the friends I made. Knowing how valuable the community has been, I want to make sure that the lack of an official college or campus does not prevent the continuation of relationships built at Yale-NUS,” said Vasudha.

Currently, the Yale-NUS Club is looking to expand its numbers, and Vasudha urged anyone who has been affiliated with Yale-NUS, whether as a student, staff, faculty or visiting student, to reach out to any of the Exco members or through the Club’s website in order to register themselves with the Club and receive updates on planned events and other opportunities. She shared her excitement for the future, which she hopes will bring a variety of events to unite fellow Kingfishers.

The formation of the Yale-NUS Club represents a new chapter in the College’s history, one that is driven by the passion and dedication of its alumni. As the Yale-NUS Club looks to the future, the Exco envisions a vibrant and dynamic community that continues to grow and evolve, creating a unique space for the Yale-NUS community.