Alumni Watch! Interview with NUSSU President, Danny Quek

The National University of Singapore Students’ Union (NUSSU) is the official organization of all undergraduates in NUS. It is specifically catered to serve the general interests of the large and diverse student population in NUS, to highlight and improve on the various issues and ideas that the students are concerned about. We are extremely proud that the 27th NUSSU Executive Committee this year is headed by our AJCian, President Danny Quek Boon Guan (25/98).
(I: Interviewer, D: Danny)

I: What prompted you to join the NUSSU?

D: I have always been active in volunteerism since my secondary school days. When I first came to NUS, I was active in NVAC, the volunteer committee under NUSSU since year one. NUSSU does a lot for the students and I want to be part of it. The decision to run for presidency came when I knew I had a team of dedicated and capable people who are willing to go the extra miles. I believe we can make a difference and formulate new policies that will benefit the students in the years to come.

I: Any interesting experience that you would like to share with us while being the President of NUSSU?

D: Well, I guessed I learnt the most while managing the Fee Hike Saga. When the fee hike was announced, the NUSSU raised its objections and set up a forum for the students. It slowly evolved into suggestions for the NUSSU to protest and we rubbed shoulders with the media. We had sleepless nights managing the students’ anger. The NUSSU responded rationally with respects to our political climate and held dialogue sessions with senior administrators of the University. The University assured us of more consultation, accountability and financial aid. Angry comments slowly became encouraging ones and we were touched by the support of our peers. Overall, I still feel that we have dealt with it in the best possible way.

I: Sounds interesting, how do you manage your time having to commit to both NUSSU and your studies?

D: There were times when I can feel the stress level going high. Our resources can be stretched thin at times and unlike some overseas unions where student leaders take a year off to serve as paid full time staff, we are unable to follow suit. Union and academic commitments do clash often but it teaches me better time management and stress coping skills. Social support, regular exercises and taking timely short breaks certainly do wonders at times.

I: What do you think is the most important value that AJC has instilled in you?

D: I cannot forget our college motto “Non Mihi Solum”. My own understanding of it taught me to be selfless and to focus on the result of the team rather than the individual. I believe this has been my approach for any student body I have joined.

By Selly

Alumni Watch! Interview with MediaCorp Radio Broadcast Journalist, Jeremy Koh

Jeremy Koh (29/97) was a student councillor from the 14th Students' Council. With a very friendly and easy going personality, he has always been very popular among his peers. After graduating from AJC in 1998, he moved on to Nanyang Technological University where he majored in Communications Studies. Currently, he is a Broadcast Journalist with MediaCorp Radio 938Live.
(I: Interviewer; J: Jeremy)

I) What did you work as upon your graduation from NTU Communications Studies?

J: Well, basically, I've been working on a part-time basis with Capital Radio since I completed my 6-month internship in 2004. After I graduated from NTU in April, I continued working there as a broadcast journalist for a month or so before I went for my graduation trip to Europe. After I came back from Europe, I took a short break before I started work as a Broadcast Journalist with 938Live.

I) Any interesting experience or news that you covered that you would like to share with us while working temporarily for Capital 95.8 FM?

J: In total, I was with Capital Radio for about a year and a half. During that period, I've had the opportunity to report on variety of news, from the usual crime stories to major events like the collapse of the Nicoll Highway. I can still remember the day when Nicoll Highway collapsed. I was working on another story when suddenly my boss asked me to go to Suntec City to report on the blackout that was caused by the collapse. When that was done, I was sent to the actual collapse site. It felt so surreal when I actually saw for myself how bad the whole situation was. But of course there wasn't much time to reflect on what I saw. Once I got there, it was work, work and more work! Also, there's all the adrenalin rush as well, because I wanted to get the news out as fast as possible. But even though it was very tiring, the thought that the listeners were standing by their radios waiting to hear the latest updates kept me going.

I) So what shows are you currently hosting on Mediacorp Radio?

J: Well, besides news gathering, I'm currently hosting two programmes. The first is Huayu Cool on 938Live. That's a programme that teaches listeners simple Mandarin phrases which they can use in daily conversations. The second programme I'm hosting is Edutalk, which is broadcast every Thursday morning. It's a twenty minute talkshow that deals with education issues.

I) You are extremely good at both languages. How did you manage to do that?

J: Because I paid attention in classes. Haha! Well, seriously, for my English, I think it's because I read quite a bit when I was young. Also, my family speaks English. As for my Mandarin, I think I picked it up from watching television programmes or movies. And of course, I have friends who speak either English or Mandarin, so depending on whom I speak to, I use either English or Mandarin. In that way, I get lots of practice. In terms of conversations, I'm quite comfortable with both languages. However, in terms of writing, my English is better.

I) Any plans for the future?

J: You never know what the future holds so I try not to plan too far ahead. But I do have short term plans. These include my travel plans for the year. Haha. For instance, I'm considering Xinjiang or Switzerland as my next travel destinations. I also have plans to brush up on my Spanish but then again, that was last year's plans. Haha!

I) Wow, you can even speak Spanish! What do you think is the most important value that AJC has instilled in you?

J: Well, it's very hard to pinpoint a single most important value because every experience has made me what I am today. But one of the most important values that I learnt in AJC is time management. When I was a student councillor, I had to balance my schoolwork with the demands of being a student councillor. While I still do need practice, I think I'm much better at prioritizing my time now. Knowing how to manage my time was extremely crucial during my university days when I had to balance my studies with my extra-curricular activities as well as my radio work.

Jeremy is a very enthusiastic and passionate broadcast journalist. Always keen to try new things, his keenness to learn and to always experience new things has given him many opportunities. The AJCAA wishes Jeremy all the best in his future endeavours and may he bring AJC to greater heights!

Interview conducted by: Ng Gek Hong Peggy.

AJ Family Day 2007 & Patron Welcome

We welcome Mr. Seng Han Tong, MP of Yio Chu Kang Constituency as AJCAA's first Patron.

AGM 2007

AGM 2007 sees the appointment of Keith Lau Kiat Meng (03/97) as the President of the Alumni Exco Committee 07/08. Ex-President Peggy Ng Gek Hong (08/97) will continue to serve the Exco as the Vice President.

97/98 Batch Reunion Dinner 2007

The Reunion Dinner was organised by a group of ex-AJCians from the 97/98 batch to celebrate the 10th year since we joined AJ. If you are keen to organise a Reunion Dinner for your batch, be it 20th year, 15th or 5th year, please contact us. We look forward to your participation!