When the first cohort of NUS College (NUSC) walked through the campus gates four years ago, there was no beaten path to follow and no seniors to look for guidance. They were starting from scratch – and they knew it. It was a blank canvas, full of uncertainty, but brimming with possibility, as NUS College Dean Professor Simon Chesterman puts it: “We are building the plane as we are flying it.”

For these two NUS Class of 2026 graduates, the most impactful lessons they learnt came from beyond the classroom. One found them in courtrooms and a remote Thai village; the other, in a hospital corridor and a cardiac arrest.

“If there’s a will, then I will find a way.” This is the piece of advice NUS College (NUSC) 2026 graduate Richelle Chua would offer her first-year self – as a quiet assurance that she would eventually find a way through every obstacle ahead. Over her four years at the College, she donned many hats: Residential Assistant, NUSCC (NUSC Club) Community Life Director, Vice Onboarding House Leader, Creative Expression Tutor, Head of NUSCreatives (NUSC creative interest group) and Captain of the Captain’s Ball interest group, to name a few.