“Orientation is one of my favourite Yale-NUS traditions — it’s this beautiful liminal space where first-year students begin to carve out a home for themselves within a new community, while also reflecting upon their own values, identities, and goals. Being an OGL allowed me to play a role in making this exciting, but often scary, transition meaningful and comfortable for first-years. This experience helped build my capacity for care, teaching me what it means to form a community and be present for one another, especially during a pandemic. In both 2020 & 2021, Orientation and working with inspiring student leaders and staff members left me with a renewed love and enthusiasm for the community, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity!”

“Having experienced first-hand just how overwhelming the transition into college can be, I wanted to play a part in easing this transition for future Kingfishers. Being an Orientation Group Leader allowed me to get to know first-years in meaningful ways, and as I went through the Orientation experience alongside them, I found myself reoriented towards all the things that first excited me about Yale-NUS and Singapore. As an OGL, I also found myself tasked with responsibilities that challenged me to become more adaptable, empathetic, and resourceful. Being an OGL is truly one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had at Yale-NUS!”

“I joined O’Comm in 2018 because Orientation is an experience I hold very dear to me, and I wanted to have a hand in creating the same magic for the incoming first-years. The uneasiness and anticipation of coming into an environment as unique as Yale-NUS can be overwhelming, and I wanted to make sure Orientation here would stay true to what it was at it’s core – a way for first-years to feel welcomed, loved, hopeful, and prepared for their future in their new home. There is so much potential in these short two weeks to create an experience that will last a lifetime, and I am proud to have been a part of its conception.”

“What I wanted by being an OGL was to: 1. be a part of creating the Yale-NUS community 2. to have fun, and 3. to be able to lend a helping hand and ear to the first-years. Despite coming into orientation with a high expectation, the actual event far exceeded it. I realised that Orientation is a lot more than just making friends and being accustomed to a new environment, it is the prime time when first-years begin forming their identity as members of Yale-NUS. I had first-hand experience seeing how the simple words and actions of OGLs and O’Comm members easily influenced the mindset of the incoming class. Instead of fostering exclusive RC pride and competition, we played a pivotal role in demonstrating how each one of us have our RC pride but more importantly, we are united as a larger community of YNC. This taught me that we carry bigger responsibilities than previously expected – student leaders greatly influence the fostering of the school community and spirit. All in all, it was thrilling to be part of forming a new part of College community and I have loved every single moment of orientation despite all the hard work (physical and emotional). I will forever treasure these memories and the valuable new friendships I was able to make with staff, upperclassmen, and first-years.”

“I joined O’Comm 2016 because I wanted to shape the first impressions of college life for the incoming first-years. The incoming class was special because they were the fourth batch of Yale-NUS students and the first time that we had a full house on campus, which became the theme for Orientation that year. Being an OGL the previous year, I knew how impactful Orientation programming was, so I wanted to join O’Comm to be able to incorporate some of the great traditions of previous Orientations and my own ideas. ”