Reminiscing Milestones – UWCSEA Alumni Reunion 2022
UWCSEA Alumni and Communications Team, Dover Campus
22 August 2022
After a two-year break, it was heartwarming to welcome alumni back as Reunion 2022 returns in person on 26 and 27 August 2022. The Alumni Reunion is an annual event for UWCSEA alumni celebrating their 10th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th and 45th anniversaries. Many alumni look forward to this iconic event for a chance to return to Singapore and reconnect with their friends and of their time at UWCSEA.
It was a weekend of reconnection for alumni from different batches who came back together on their old school grounds to explore the campus and share memories of their time here. Close to 200 alumni, family, friends and staff attended from 22 different countries, some from as far as the United States, Europe and the Middle East. The event was the first in-person reunion in two years and our alumni were treated to an evening dining at Tamarind Hill on Friday night, followed by an on campus event on Saturday. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as they gathered together and shared stories, reflected on their journeys, explored the campus grounds and reminisced about the special years they spent at UWCSEA Dover.
Friday, 26 August: Alumni Campus Speaking Engagements
Nadiem Makarim '02, founder of Zalora and Gojek, and current Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology for Indonesia, dropped by Dover Campus in the afternoon on Friday, 28 August. After a campus tour down memory lane, he stopped by the Main Hall to speak to Grade 11 and 12 Students about the path he took since graduating from the College, his achievements and what he had learned, and how the UWC mission has played a role in his life. What a special way to have kickstarted his 20th milestone Reunion!
Colin Hoffmann '92 dropped by two Global Politics classes to share his expertise in his capacity as Head of Procurement and Contracts at NATO School Oberammergau (NSO) is NATO's premier facility for training and education at the operational level. Colin even met his former classmate Valerie Nonis during his time on campus.
Grade 8 students heard from an alumni panel in the afternoon who spoke about their time in UWCSEA and how their individual experiences shaped their direction in life. Many thanks to Corrado Giambalvo '82, Jason Sambanju '92, Debbie Lin '02 and Anna Pierobon '12 for sharing their stories! All of them are back for their milestone Reunion over the weekend.
Friday, 26 August: Tamarind Hill – The evening involved a cocktail hour, socialising, sit-down dinner, and class photo-taking! A copy of the class photos were given out to alumni as instant prints as a memento for the evening.
On Saturday, 27 August at Dover Campus, the programme was packed, engaging all our alumni who came to visit and reconnect with their fellow batch and schoolmates!
Head of College, Nick Alchin, shared an update on the College at the Main Hall. We're sure that must've brought back loads of memories of school gatherings in the same space! Campus tours were also led by staff with Dover Campus scholars tagging along to enjoy the walk down memory lane! The IDEAS Hub, a place for innovation on campus, also opened its doors to welcome alumni and carried out activities to engage with the children of our alumni!
Our UWCSEA student Korean drummers also gave an entertaining performance to mark the start of a communal barbecue lunch prepared by Sodexo featuring iconic canteen favourites such as chicken rice, chicken 65 and a live satay station! We wrapped up the event with class photos and alumni from around the world of classes 1982, 1992, 1997 & 2002, who were not able to join the event, connected via virtual class calls on Zoom!
No one Reunion is ever the same especially the first one held in-person after two years! There were many heartwarming moments over Reunion Weekend but these deserve a special shout-out. From recreating original uniforms from their class year to an old essay kept by a dear former teacher, Reunion 2022 reminded us just how priceless alumni interactions are!
Click here to watch the update from Head of College, Nick Alchin.
It was certainly a Reunion to remember. We could not think of a better way to wrap up our final Reunion 2022 newsletter than with a couple of messages from alumni.
I’m so happy to be back to celebrate our 20th anniversary as UWC South East Asia alumni. What an amazing time connecting with old friends from around the globe – reliving memories and making new ones. This place changed my life.
Witnessing how it has evolved through the eyes, hearts & minds of students & staff was a wonderful reminder of how special this place has been over the past 50 years, with its intentional unwavering spirit to, beyond academic performance, develop people who believe in empathy, inclusivity, diversity, intercultural understanding, care for the underprivileged, global awareness, peace, and the protection of nature.
Thank you UWC! The UWC movement moves on.
– Reunion reflections by Ryan Tan '02
Highlights over the special weekend!
Cikgu Susi Teo, a former teacher who taught Malay at UWCSEA from 1973 to 2006 is a regular at Reunions and we were so thrilled to welcome her back and husband, Han Wue Teo for the special weekend.
She came with a special surprise for her former student, Kenyan scholar Harriet Egessa – a copy of her Malay essay from more than 20 years ago! That exchange brought out happy tearful smiles and was definitely a moment to remember.
Class of 1992: Version 2.0 Uniforms
A group of alumni from the Class of 1992 attended Friday's welcome reception decked out in a familiar shirt unique to alumni from the 90s – UWCSEA's uniform top in the classic grey and light blue pinstripes!
Special credit to class representative Jason Sambanju who took the lead and went the extra mile to recreate duplicates of their iconic uniform. What a memorable way to celebrate their 30th milestone!
Oh what an amazing Reunion weekend it was for all the returning alumni from the celebrating classes of '77, '82, '87, '92, '97, '02, '12! It felt so good to welcome our alumni in-person again and to see all the wonderful connections – a magical night for all!
Swipe to view photos across the special weekend!
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