When the inaugural cohort of NUS College (who joined the College in 2022) gathered for their Commencement ceremony, their guest speaker, local filmmaker Miss Tan Pin Pin, offered a precious gift of perspective. She shared with the Class of 2026 a heartfelt reflection on the quiet, deeply personal act of paying attention to the little details in life and offered practical handles on journeying ahead in our interview with her.

When the inaugural cohort of NUS College (who joined the College in 2022) gathered for their Commencement ceremony, their guest speaker, local filmmaker Miss Tan Pin Pin, offered a precious gift of perspective. She shared with the Class of 2026 a heartfelt reflection on the quiet, deeply personal act of paying attention to the little details in life and offered practical handles on journeying ahead in our interview with her.

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.