UWCSEA Parent Spotlight: Justin Baldauf

It was a bright Tuesday morning when I reached Tiong Bahru Bakery in Holland Village. The café was full, which in the pandemic era means the tables were occupied by small groups with considerable distance between them. I looked around and saw Angel Wu, the Parents Association (PA) chairperson, chatting with another UWCSEA parent, Justin Baldauf. Originally from California, Justin and his wife, Sulian, have lived in Singapore for the past decade and have four kids at the Dover campus. Angel introduced me to Justin, and over coffee and croissants we fell into an easy conversation about his experience with the UWCSEA community.

When did your family become part of the UWCSEA community? 

Our oldest son enrolled at Dover in 2016 in Grade 5. Since then our other children have followed in their brother’s footsteps: we now have 3 other kids in Grades 1, 3, and 5 along with the oldest one, who is now in Grade 10.

How have you and your wife gotten involved in the community? 

The UWCSEA Dover parent community is large, diverse, and welcoming … so there are a variety of ways to get involved. On campus, there are several sports programs for parents that I’ve enjoyed over the years. Following a hiatus during the pandemic, the swimming and tennis programs have restarted, and I’m looking forward to those in 2022 (for more info, check out the swimming and tennis groups on Classlist)

How about volunteering?

I’ve volunteered to be a Class Parent a few times and have enjoyed it. It’s a great way to get to know other parents and the teachers as well. Class Parents also have an opportunity to help the families of the class create a sense of community (though restrictions on group sizes during the pandemic have made this more challenging). 

I was a Class Parent for the first time in 2016, when two other dads and I volunteered for the role for 5BHe (We may have been the first group of dads to put our hands up for the job!). In 2020, I volunteered for 2BSc and 4DMa (again, as part of a small team), and this year I took on the responsibility for 1ATu and 5HPo. This year, Sulian also decided to give it a go, and she’s now a Class Parent for 3CWi. I’d recommend doing the role as part of a small group (two or three parents) – this reduces the workload and makes it more fun. 

What are some favourite UWCSEA memories? 

The 2018 production of OPUS (UWC’s annual concert, held at the Esplanade Theatre) is one highlight. Our oldest son (Grade 7 at the time) was part of the Arioso choir. The concert finale (Habanera from Carmen, sung by G12 student Ananya Diddapur) was amazing (check it out here). We enjoyed the show with our middle children, who got a kick out of seeing their big brother on stage for the first time. 

Another musical memory comes from 2019. I was on campus with our youngest son, aged 7 then, on the day of “Battle of the Bands” for the Middle School. Our eldest one was on guitar for one of the bands, and the younger one wanted to see him play. This was a “students-only” event, but I was able to persuade one of the administrators to let us watch. All the bands played their hearts out, and the crowd of middle schoolers couldn’t get enough – it was cool to see them go wild for their classmates playing on stage!

Moving away from music, over the years our family has volunteered at Willing Hearts, a local soup kitchen. In 2020 we did this several times with other UWCSEA families. Working together and alongside our kids, we did a variety of tasks from prepping vegetables to scrubbing pots to scaling fish. It was satisfying to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty while pitching in, and the experience was a nice way to connect with other families while putting some of the UWCSEA values into action.

How about sports? Any favourite memories there? 

Absolutely. One of my favourites is the Junior School Sports Day, held on the AYE Field in 2019 (this was the last one before Covid). Parents could walk onto the field to see kids compete up close; there were also events for parents, and joint events where kids and parents could compete alongside and against each other. The parent/child tug-of-war and parent/child relay race were standouts – and it was cool to see how hard the kids worked to outdo mom and dad!

The teachers really did an amazing job on Sports Day: the event was well organised, and they brought lots of energy and enthusiasm to the Field. It was a day of incredible spirit!

What else have you enjoyed about UWCSEA? 

This may come as a surprise, but I’d say the daily commute to school! We are fortunate to live along the Park Connector Network (PCN) near campus, and our three younger kids bike to school each day. Typically, I ride with them in the morning, and either my wife or I will lead the ride home. To make the logistics a bit easier, we’ve created a small “bike pool” with another nearby Dover family that enables us to share responsibilities for afternoon pick-ups.

Biking to school has been a great way to bond with our kids. It’s been especially satisfying to watch our G1 daughter build confidence on two wheels. At the start of the year she was a bit wobbly, but over the past few months she’s gotten faster, and at this point she can nearly keep up with her older brothers (and Mom and Dad)!