Documenting the ‘Halcyon Days’: A ground-up passion project by Yale-NUS students

What does it mean to be the last graduating class of Yale-NUS College? What is it like to live in the last year of a cherished space? And how should these poignant moments of personal and institutional history be best captured?

These are questions that have been buzzing on Glenda Wee, Lum Wan Tong and Nuha Hafiz’s (all from Class of 2025) minds the past months, as they went from conceptualising to acting on a passion project – a creative documentary chronicling the last class of Yale-NUS College.

“In 2023, I watched a dance production and was deeply moved by the storytelling that weaved together different narratives about growing up. As I sat in the theatre reflecting during the intermission, I felt instinctively that something must be done in Yale-NUS too!” said Wan Tong, recalling the moment she first considered embarking on a ground-up project for her class.

Having heard that Glenda and Nuha were interested in documenting the final year of Yale-NUS College, she approached them and together, they formed a team.

In July 2024, the trio headed to Adam Road Food Centre for their first meeting. They sat under the shade of an umbrella at the hawker center and started ideating over satay and carrot cake. Some questions included, “What should the project focus on?” “What gets to be remembered and immortalised?” “Whose perspectives will be considered?” “And what format should all these stories be presented in?”

Initially, Glenda, Nuha and Wan Tong conceived of doing a musical production that would retell the story of Yale-NUS. At the same time, all three of them wanted to weave multiple narratives into the final product. Realising that a musical would only allow for a single storyline, they started to brainstorm and consider other alternatives.

“We all harbour such different visualisations and creative processes, between Wan Tong, Glenda, and I – and even our other friends who also got involved. In recognising that the sentiment we wish to express is the same, I’ve learnt to collaborate more creatively with others,” Nuha said, reflecting on what she personally took away from the early days of the project.

After consulting with Dave Lim (Class of 2019), Alan Seah and Ryan Tan (both from the Class of 2025), the team landed on the format of a documentary project, which would comprise several short videos, or episodes. Approaching the project with the overarching prompt, “If you had juniors, what would you tell them about your time at Yale-NUS?”, the team hoped to capture the everyday realities and untold stories of living out the College’s final chapter. They also sought to celebrate the resilience displayed by members of the last class.

“We hope that this project reminds us of our capacity to build communities of inclusivity and generosity as we approach the impending closure. We are Yale-NUS! Yale-NUS is us! At the end of the day, our individual efforts have the power to transform the world we live in,” said Wan Tong.

While the documentary is still in the works, each team member readily shared their highlights and about their journey thus far.

Glenda has been working on an episode titled “Day in a Life”, where she followed three students from the Class of 2025 as they went about their usual morning routine last semester. This episode aims to spotlight the everyday rituals and shared spaces that define life at Yale-NUS in the last year. Opting for a playful approach, Glenda and her team captured the rhythm and intimacy of life in the College through a series of stop motion photos and soundscapes of third spaces. “Even though it takes a while and we look silly, it really made me appreciate the common paths we take every day,” said Glenda.

For Wan Tong, who worked with Brian Shim (Class of 2025) to capture the experience of taking the lift in Cendana College, interacting with friends and classmates was an exciting experience. She particularly enjoyed collecting ‘lift stories’ of members of the Class of 2025, who experienced living in just one Residential College. Wan Tong shared, “It made us realise how living in such close proximity can make our everyday encounters so humorous, random, and even awkward, while also creating space for us to show acts of care and interact with different members of the community!”. The technical skills of filming and editing videos have also been a huge takeaway for Wan Tong.

Nuha worked with Ryan Ye (Class of 2025) on filming “Screentests”, a series of short video interviews of multiple friend groups. The same prompts are given across different groups, and each group’s spontaneous response is recorded on camera, capturing the dynamics of the moment and people in frame. Prompts revolved around students’ Yale-NUS experience, first impressions, living in a suite, and hopes for the final semester. “I was touched while listening to people share their Yale-NUS experiences and how they’ve come to know their closest friends in the school. As much as people’s experiences differ, they still share a collective appreciation for the school and the same sentiment to close their senior year well,” shared Nuha.

As of January, the team has filmed four episodes and edited one episode of the documentary. They aim to wrap up filming before the graduation ceremony in May, and complete post-production processes in mid-2025.

As the team continues to develop this documentary, their project is a reminder to slow down and pay attention to what we have built as a community.