From sparking conversations to creating change: Yale-NUS student and alumni give back to the community

At Yale-NUS College, students actively cultivate an ethic of service and consider how one can contribute to the community. Three Kingfishers have been consistently putting this into action and stand out for their dedication to social and community impact. Follow the journeys of Elizabeth Ong Jin Hui (Class of 2025), Yashmit Lepcha (Class of 2021) and Marcus Chua (Class of 2020), who have been actively invested in building their visions of a better tomorrow.

Elizabeth Ong Jin Hui

Wanting to make the most of her time as an undergraduate to contribute to non-profit organisations, Elizabeth decided to join The Astronauts Collective (TAC) as their mission and goals resonated deeply with her own past challenges. TAC is a non-profit organisation that supports youths in their early exploration of potential career paths, by facilitating engaging events and organising career mentorship programmes.

As a Youth Guidance Associate, Elizabeth regularly engages secondary school students in exploration programmes and helps them navigate the maze of potential career pathways, for them to gain clarity about their options and preferences. For example, she supports students in participating in “Job Tasters” of various industry professionals.

“It was definitely jarring to wake up at 6am again after [being out of secondary school for] so long, but my interactions were so meaningful.  From just the first session, I received written feedback from a student who expressed gratitude to me  for being patient. I felt like I made an impact, no matter how small,” said Elizabeth when asked what kept her going. She also pointed out how students at Yale-NUS plan their time to make space and prioritise activities, be it academics, internships or personal passions. Taking this as an inspiration, she chose to emulate this by pursuing her interest in engaging with youths through this programme.

Yashmit Lepcha

A year after graduating from Yale-NUS College and working as a research assistant in the field of psychology, Yashmit was looking for an opportunity to connect with more people and gain exposure to professions focused on helping others. Through an online search, she found the Befrienders volunteering programme under the Tan Tock Seng Hospital-Integrated Care Hub (TTSH-ICH), where befrienders conducted psychosocial screenings and conducted follow-up sessions with long term care patients to contribute to their well-being during their stays at TTSH-ICH. Acknowledging the match between her interest in supporting others and her training as a psychologist, she decided to commit to the programme.

As a befriender, Yashmit organises group activities such as karaoke and bracelet-making sessions to bring joy and excitement to the patients’ days. She also conducts one-on-one sessions with patients after they receive psychosocial screenings, giving them a chance to voice their feelings and feel heard. While befrienders are no longer responsible for conducting psychosocial screenings, Yashmit used to conduct these screenings and shared that this past responsibility contributed to her communication and active listening skills. At first, she felt awkward probing information from patients. Over time, Yashmit grew more comfortable and confident, learning to professionally address all sorts of sensitive topics without much hiccups and hesitation.

While acknowledging the contributions she makes to the patients’ recovery journeys, Yashmit also found herself growing and receiving through volunteering in a programme centered on forming meaningful connections. “The kinds of people I have met here have changed me. Their values and insights are so different from mine. I feel it has broadened my worldview, and their resilience, in such a challenging time, is deeply inspiring,” shared Yashmit.

Looking back on her Yale-NUS journey, Yashmit realised that witnessing her peers passionately and frequently advocating for various causes made her mindful about the impact she could make. “I gained a deeper appreciation for the impact that small, collective actions can have,” said Yashmit.

Marcus Chua

Besides seeking out ongoing opportunities to contribute to the community, Yale-NUS students and alumni also carve out new spaces and platforms to uplift others.

Badminton Philosophy is a badminton community that operates on a social enterprise model, with a vision to elevate the culture and community around badminton into a force for good and the betterment of society. It was founded by alumnus Marcus Chua, who shared that its success rests largely on the community’s members, volunteers, and partners.

Currently, Badminton Philosophy runs two main programmes:  The Philosophiae Badminton (PhB) Coaching programme trains members in technical skills, sportsmanship, befriending, and peer coaching skills. The other programme, called Love & Serve, taps on trained members from the PhB programme to support beneficiaries through community partnerships.

As the founder, Marcus volunteers his personal time outside of work to strategise and bring people and ideas together. This includes piloting programmes and developing and volunteering his coaching hours as an accredited coach with the Singapore National Registry of Coaches and Badminton World Federation.

The idea for Badminton Philosophy came to Marcus during his time as an undergraduate at Yale-NUS College. In his second year, he suffered from an injury and could not play badminton, even though he had competed since his early schooling days. The College offered him the opportunity to coach the beginners of the badminton group on campus instead. “This proved very pivotal to my holistic development in the sport, and it opened new pathways, opportunities, and networks that I’ve been cultivating ever since,” said Marcus.

At Yale-NUS, Marcus also had the opportunity to attend overseas sports exchange programmes in Taipei and Malaysia and embarked on Learning Across Boundaries (LAB) trips to dive deeper into coaching systems and cultures of other sports.

Beyond formal programmes that the College has provided, he also feels that the people he has met during his time at Yale-NUS were significant in leading to Badminton Philosophy: “The diversity and brilliance of my friends in Yale-NUS College inspired me to be entrepreneurial, creative, and crazy bold with my many passions and compassions. Their community spirit even today helps me see how the College has prepared us well as active citizens for society.”