ONE° NORTH
Vol 16 December 2018
The Alumni Magazine of UWC South East Asia
Feats of endurance
for scholarships
Hospitality, African-style
Physician-educator
Broadway musician
Best-selling author and more
I believe that education is the most important
thing, not just for students but for everybody.”
Kyong Christopher Oh ’91
Read more on page 12
06
UBUNTU AND
NYAMA CHOMA
Linda de Flavis
reminisces about
hospitality, African-
style
08
GRADUATION
2018
Dover guest speaker
Ros Wynne-Jones ’89
10
BROADWAY
MUSICIAN
Robin Macatangay ’83
12
PHYSICIAN AND
PHYSICIST WITH
A PASSION FOR
EDUCATION
Chris Oh ’91
One°North is published by UWC South East Asia anually for alumni, staff and friends of UWCSEA. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without written
consent. Send your address change to alumnimagazine@uwcsea.edu.sg and/or update your profile on the UWCSEA alumni website.
We welcome your feedback; please send comments to alumnimagazine@uwcsea.edu.sg.
Please send your articles and/or suggestions for articles, for the next issue, to alumnimagazine@uwcsea.edu.sg.
Editor: Brenda Whately; Design: Nandita Gupta
02
MESSAGE FROM
THE HEAD
Chris Edwards on
UWC strategy and
values
03
ALUMNI OFFICE
A note about change
03
ALUMNI AND
STUDENTS
ENGAGE OVER
PROJECT WEEK
Patrick Rouxel ’84,
Sun Bear rescue
04
AMAZING FEATS
OF ENDURANCE
FOR
SCHOLARSHIPS
Mikael MÖrn ’92
Charlie Ormiston,
Former Board Chair
14
YEAR IN REVIEW
A sample of the huge
variety of events and
activities that take
place at the College
16
RESTORING
NATURAL
HERITAGE ON
DOVER CAMPUS
Memorial trees and a
future forest
18
UWCSEA
ALUMNI-
FOCUSED AD
CAMPAIGN
“What is your
alumni story?”
20
NEW YORK TIMES
BEST-SELLING
AUTHOR
Yang Sze Choo ’92
22
CONTEMPORARY
SURREALIST
Fiona Hollis Carney
’96
24
AWARD-
WINNING
PRODUCER
Romilla Karnick ’96
25
EDUCATION
IS THE MOST
POWERFUL
WEAPON …
Alice Whitehead ’98
Printed on recycled paper | MCI (P) 027/07/2018 | 005ALUMNI-1819
26
RECENT EVENTS
Worldwide alumni
get-togethers and
Reunion 2018
28
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Reunion 2019 and
worldwide event
schedule
28
ALUMNI
SERVICES
Stay connected
COVER
Mikael MÖrn ’92
climbing one of the
three mountains
he summited in
support of a UWCSEA
scholarship.
Inside
December 2018 OneºNorth 1
Dear Alumni,
I am writing on one of those Singapore days when the sky looks as if it has a hundred different ideas about what it might do next.
You know—or you will remember—the situation: brilliant sun to the left; low, black storm clouds to the right; fluffy white dots
ahead and dreary drizzle behind. Any of these, or variations upon those themes, might win the day. The metaphor is a convenient
one for the seeming state of the world, and I hope, in these troubling times, you’ll forgive a rather more strident introduction to this
publication than is usual.
For every posturing thug in power, there are others looking to use the tools of reason and compassion; the isolationists and
nationalists are counterbalanced by those who seek understanding and accord; the rhetoric of division and superiority is met with
calls for universal social justice; and those who refute and mock our agency in the changing climate have clear and unambiguous
warnings ringing in their ears. Whether the rain or sun will prevail, I guess none of us know; cynics will probably predict drizzle;
somehow, they’ll say, we’ll muddle through.
UWC the movement and UWCSEA the school should not watch from the sidelines because if that’s all we do, we are of course
taking sides. As a UK citizen I’ve witnessed the blight visited upon a nation by apathy and complacency. So I’m thrilled to say the
new UWC Strategy—2018 and Beyond—is partisan, as is the new five year strategy from UWCSEA. I suppose you might say we
believe certain truths to be self-evident, and when I see in the UWC Strategy Executive Summary key macro words and phrases
like “deliberately diverse … cooperation … values-based … transparency and inclusion … celebration of diversity”, I feel very
comfortable. And I hope we make certain people decidedly uncomfortable.
UWCSEA’s alumni around the world, are engaged in incredibly varied work. But I believe one’s job, within reason, is immaterial when
it comes to fulfilling the UWC mission: depending on their ethical disposition and bias for action, one person might have far more
impact as a homemaker in a rural town than another might running an NGO. What I do know, having again met so many of you
at our recent reunion, is that many torches still burn very brightly and that the inspiring stories of our alumni—some global, some
decidedly domestic—are lighting the pathways within our strategies. My job is often humbling.
And it is also nearing its end. After five very happy years at UWCSEA I shall be leaving in July. So please enjoy this publication, and
may I wish all of you—those I have met and those I hope to meet at some future time—every success and happiness. And I would
add that aside from earning our wages and salaries, we all have a job to do.
Chris Edwards
Head of College
Message from the Head
2 OneºNorth December 2018
I have worked at UWCSEA for several years now and I’ve seen
a lot of change in that time, to both Singapore and the College.
Change is inevitable and we will see more of it at the end of
this academic year when Head of College Chris Edwards leaves
after five years at the helm. Also leaving at the end of this
academic year is Dave Shepherd, who many of you have been
taught by, or have met more recently at various events. Dave
has been at the College since 1992, first as a PE teacher, then
Head of PE, then Director of Admissions and currently Director
of College Advancement and the UWCSEA Foundation. I’m
sure you will join me in wishing Chris and Dave both, all the
very best.
What doesn’t change at the College, is the wonderful buzz,
the activity and sense of purpose that one feels every day
here. There is always something interesting and exciting
happening—students preparing for expeditions, sporting
events, art exhibitions, Project Week, Model UN, Initiative for
Peace, UN Night, CultuRama, OPUS, UWC Day, International
evenings in the Boarding House, building robots in the IDEAS
Hub, participating in Service and Global Concerns, helping to
install solar panels on the roof … It’s an inspiring list—and all of
these activities go on in addition to the classroom lessons. I’m
sure most alumni will remember what a busy place UWCSEA
has always been.
This year, as we try to get to know more about our alumni in
order to share their knowledge and experience as a resource to
staff and students, we will be sending out a series of requests for
updates in various areas. The first one will be a request to let us
know if you or alumni you know, have published a book, fiction
or non-fiction for a list to be prepared and shared with staff.
Please watch for these requests in our monthly e-newsletter, the
Alumni eBrief and please help us to build these resources.
We look forward to seeing some of you at upcoming events
this year. Please do keep in touch.
Warm regards,
Brenda Whately
Director of Alumni Relations
Note from the Alumni Office
This year, for Grade 11 Project Week, five Dover students
embarked on a journey to the remote forests of East Kalimantan,
Borneo, where they spent a week with UWCSEA alumnus Patrick
Rouxel ’84, supporting his Sun Bear Outreach Programme. The
programme currently looks after 52 sun bears who don’t have
the skills to survive in the wild on their own and the students
spent some of their week helping to construct an enclosure
that will house several of the bears in a natural forest setting.
They also had the opportunity to gain an interesting insight
into Patrick’s own Project Week experience in 1983, which was
instrumental in guiding him to his career as documentary film
director and activist for animal protection and conservation.
Please visit www.uwcsea.edu.sg/Patrick-Rouxel for more about
Patrick.
Alumni and students engage over Project Week
December 2018 OneºNorth 3
SCALING MOUNTAINS
in support of education
“I do not know a group of more positive and passionate leaders of tomorrow than UWCSEA
graduates—within that cohort, the grit and determination of scholars, who have often risen from
incredibly challenging circumstances, makes them change-makers to watch!”
Mikael MÖrn ’92
By Brenda Whately
In late August 2018 Mikael MÖrn set out
to summit three of the highest peaks in
some of the most remote and beautiful
regions of the world. It would take
14 days and he would ascend a total
vertical height of 16,500 metres.
Mikael says, “I set out on this expedition
as a personal challenge and with a
commitment to my former school,
UWCSEA in equal parts. I wanted
to challenge myself to reach greater
heights on the big mountains of the
world, and at the same time, inspire
awareness of and support for the
incredible scholarship programme which
brings motivated students from all over
the world to Singapore to learn and
contribute to the ideals and spirit of the
UWC movement. I was extraordinarily
fortunate to attend UWCSEA for seven
years. My experience was and remains
central to my world view, ambition,
values and continuing happiness.
Through this fundraising initiative I aim
to bring a scholar from an Internally
Displaced Persons (IDP) region to
UWCSEA, with a strong conviction that
he or she will benefit in similar ways.”
Mikael’s climbs included Mount
Damavand (5,610 metres), the highest
mountain in Iran and highest volcano
in Asia, Mount Elbrus (5,642 metres),
the highest mountain in the Caucasus
mountain range of Southern Russia,
and Demirkazik Mountain in the Taurus
mountain range of Turkey. Mikael’s
passion for mountaineering started at
the age of 13, when he ascended 4,100
metre high Mount Kinabalu in Sabah
Malaysia, and his love for it has obviously
continued to grow since that ascent.
Mikael found many of the people he met
along the way particularly interesting.
“The characters you come across
when high up in mountains all over
the world are often driven by similar
combinations of altitude ambition,
open-mindedness, diverse education
and a general interest in the adventures
of others. The Three Peak expedition
gave me enough literary fodder to think
about a novel in which the worlds of a
senior Iranian horticultural researcher,
Anna the Russian divorce lawyer, Farhad
and Sayyed the Tehran martial arts
thugs and Mohammed the Turkish
sheepherder collide.” We’ll certainly
watch for that.
On the 6th of September, Mikael
completed his final climb. The following
week he wrote in his blog, “One week
ago today, I summited the final peak,
Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain
in the Caucasus, Russia and Europe,
and one of the tallest volcanoes on the
planet. I had anticipated that it would be
the biggest challenge, at the conclusion
of the three-peak expedition, and it was.
The combination of the 4 am 1,800
metre vertical ascent, strong wind and
sudden fog and clouds made the final
hour to the summit one of the most
memorable of my mountaineering life.”
Mikael’s 2019 ambitions include higher
climbs to 6-7,000 metres in Ecuador and
Kyrgyzstan.
Mikael holds a degree in Economics
and History from Dartmouth College
and has spent much of his career in the
commodities industry. He is a former
Director of the Norwalk Children’s
Foundation, a Mentor with the Big
Brother Big Sister Foundation, a member
of the UWCSEA Foundation Leadership
Council (FLC), and a global advocate for
the UWCSEA Scholarship Programme.
“It was a daunting goal, but
every journey starts with
one turn of the pedal.”
Both Mikael and Charlie matched the funding achieved through their amazing feats of courage and endurance, creating
a double impact.
Read more about Mikael’s three-peak challenge here: https://bigmountainchallenge.wordpress.com/
Read about Charlie’s amazing cycling adventure here: www.charliesxamericatour.com
Cycling coast to coast in
support of education
Around the same time that Mikael
was preparing to climb mountains
in support of a scholarship, Charlie
Ormiston, parent of a UWCSEA
graduate and former Chair of the
UWCSEA Board of Governors
cycled an incredible 3,840 miles
across the USA—from the Pacific
to the Atlantic—also in support of
UWCSEA scholarships.
Charlie was an important part of the
team that established UWCSEA’s
East Campus in 2008—an initiative
which allowed the number of
students receiving scholarship
funding at the College to rise to over
100. Charlie’s ambition is to double
that number, in part through this
coast-to-coast cycling trip.
The Ormiston Family Endowed
Scholarship, once fully endowed,
will provide the funds for a new
scholar to attend UWCSEA every
two years over the next 25 years.
Charlie Ormiston at the Atlantic Ocean,
having reached the end of his successful coast
to coast ride.
December 2018 OneºNorth 5
UBUNTU
AND
NYAMA
CHOMA
There’s nothing like home-cooked
food—especially familiar food from
home—to tide someone through a wave
of homesickness. For many years, I’ve
invited groups of scholars over for dinner
during school holidays when they can’t
go home, due to the distances involved.
In exchange for subjecting them to
my experiments in African cuisine, I’ve
learned about their cultures and enjoyed
their exuberant energy as they tease each
other mercilessly and fill the room with
their irrepressible laughter.
Even more than the food, the scholars
appreciated being in a family home,
and invited me to visit theirs, if I got
the chance to travel to their countries.
That wasn’t something I really expected
to happen. But then, 10 years ago, I
found myself in Kenya and Ethiopia and
discovered the profound meaning of
hospitality, African-style.
‘Karibu,’ Kiswahili for ‘Welcome,’ was the
word I heard most frequently in Kenya.
People everywhere were warm and
friendly: in the markets, in the museums,
and on the matatus—those jam-packed
minibuses with crazy drivers, loud Kenyan
hip-hop, four people squeezed into a seat
for two, a baby randomly dumped on
your lap, and a live chicken in a basket at
your feet.
As for the families of former UWC
scholars, clearly nothing is too much
trouble. At the first house I was invited
to, in safari-country Nakuru, my host
had taken the day off work to cook a
traditional Luo lunch. We enjoyed tilapia
(fish) and a vegetable stew with ugali,
a maize-based staple used to scoop up
Reminiscing
about
hospitality,
African-style
By Dr Linda de Flavis
University Advisor
the food, delicious when infused with
rich gravy. Then, back in Nairobi, there
was the savory feast prepared by former
student Dorothy ’08. I disgraced myself
by taking three helpings of irio, a dish of
mashed potato-and-peas studded with
pieces of the chewy white maize which
grows abundantly in Kenya and is much
tastier than the yellow kind.
My third invitation was to Ng’ang’a
(Peter) ’04 Muchiri’s home. He came to
the matatu stop to meet me and the
UWC students his family had invited, and
walked us back to his parents’ farm, a few
kilometers down a country lane ending in
a steep, muddy hill. I was worried I would
slip and slide backwards to the bottom,
but luckily that opportunity was seized
by one of the students, Waruiru ’09,
instead.
At the Muchiris’ farm a goat had
been slaughtered, its barbecued ribs
arranged on an enormous platter for the
neighbours invited to the nyama choma.
There I met Ng’ang’a’s new brother, a
teenager who had walked all the way
from a Sudanese refugee camp, carrying
a scrap of paper bearing the name of
a Nairobi pastor—his sole contact in
Kenya. Through that tenuous link, he
had come to know the Muchiris, who
gave him a warm karibu and a home.
This boy’s easy inclusion in the family
taught me the depth of kindness and
hospitality in Africa. After lunch, on a
tour of the farm, father and adopted
son proudly demonstrated the workings
of the new well; 80 feet of digging had
finally ended the need to rely on bottled
water. I was then shown some new crops
designed to grow faster, yielding three
Photo L to R: Linda de Flavis with Abiy ’08 to her left and Jawar ’05 two to her right; Linda, Dorothy ’08 and Mike ’08, waiting for Ng’ang’a ’04 at the matatu stop.
6 OneºNorth December 2018
times a year. I mentioned the controversy
about genetically modified crops in the
west. Mr Muchiri’s reply put things into
perspective: ‘If I can get three crops a
year, that’s another term’s school fees for
my Sudanese son.’
I left Kenya in 2008 and landed in
Ethiopia in the year 2000. Ethiopia’s
calendar is eight years behind the rest
of the world’s—just one example of
their unique culture. I headed for the
ancient Muslim walled city of Harar,
one of the world’s wonders. Here Islam,
like everything in Ethiopia, is radically
different from anywhere else in the
world. For one thing, the dress code is
sexier. Robes are shaped to linger on
the curves of the body; headscarves
are brilliantly-coloured and woven
into elaborate, eye-catching coifs
that enhance a woman’s beauty more
flamboyantly than hair ever could. The
riot and swirl of colour, as people in
fanciful costumes move rapidly through
the labyrinthine passageways of the city,
is dazzling. It makes you feel as if you’ve
stepped into the colourful pages of an
illustrated children’s Bible suddenly come
to life, especially when you make way for
troops of donkeys driven by young girls,
or glimpse camel trains moving sedately
along outside the city walls.
Food, also, is unique, colourful, and
different. Meals are intensely communal
affairs. Everyone sits in a circle around
the injera, a fermented pancake made
from teff, which grows only in the
Ethiopian highlands. There are no knives
and forks: the injera serves as both plate
and cutlery, as you break off pieces to
scoop up the food. In addition to doro
Where are the scholars
mentioned in this story now?
Dorothy and Waruiru are
pursuing PhDs in health sciences
after graduating from University
of Chicago and Macalester
respectively; Ng’ang’a has a PhD
and teaches African literature
at a US university; Abiy went on
to do a PhD after attending MIT;
Jawar graduated from Stanford
and Columbia, became a political
analyst and a leader in the
freedom struggle of the Oromo,
an oppressed ethnic group in
Ethiopia.
To read the extended version of
this article, please visit UWCSEA
Perspectives at perspectives.uwcsea.
edu.sg
There is a Zulu phrase—Ubuntu—that
captures our essential social nature as
humans. Desmond Tutu defined it as ‘the
essence of being human … it speaks of
our interconnectedness.’ I grew up Italian,
so hospitality was inevitable; visitors
would drop in for morning coffee and
end up staying for lunch and dinner. In
the ancient Mediterranean world, it was
believed that the stranger who knocked
on your door should be welcomed
because he could be a god in disguise. I
don’t know if any gods in disguise have
come to my house, but I’ve enjoyed
every dinner I’ve hosted, and cherish
my enduring connections with our
remarkable scholars!
wot, a hypnotically delicious chicken stew
which is certainly served in heaven, there
is alecha (a vegetable stew enhanced
with ginger); shiro (lentils cooked in niter
kibbeh, a spicy butter); and iab, a soft
curd cheese to cool it all down. These
colourful dishes are spooned around
the injera base like paints in an artist’s
palette—a feast for the eyes as well as
the taste buds. Meeting up with former
scholar Jawar ’05 in Harar, I was again
warmly welcomed into people’s homes
wherever we went. I also discovered
Italian influences from Ethiopia’s brief
period of colonisation; old men greeted
me with a ‘Ciao! Come sta?’ and at one
point I was invited by strangers to share a
communal dish of spaghetti.
The coffee ritual reflects Ethiopians’
very different relationship with time. I
was thrilled whenever my hosts took
out the charcoal burner to roast those
delicious green beans. It takes time
for the beans to roast, to inhale the
aroma, to fill the tiny cups with the
fragrant brew. But time is on your side in
Ethiopia; after all, they have eight years
to catch up to the western calendar. I
loved that coffee so much that I had to
fight the urge to snatch my neighbour’s
cup right out of his hand.
Back in Addis I spent a day with another
UWCSEA graduate, Abiy ’08, whose
mother invited me to a phenomenal
feast of traditional dishes. Remarkably,
the entire meal had been made on
a two-ring gas burner. It made me
realise my own laziness—despite all
my kitchen gadgets, I often eat salad or
microwave popcorn for dinner, unless
I’ve invited guests.
Photo L to R: Abiy’s mother at her home; Ng’ang’a’s dad on his dairy farm.
December 2018 OneºNorth 7
G
R
A
D
U
A
T
I
O
“Handball is analogous to the Dover experience
… its very premise is working tirelessly to
cross divides and transcend borders. Waiting
in line [to play] taught us patience and respect,
scraping our fingers to return shots taught us
sacrifice and tenacity, and aiming for the top
of the grid had a funny way of illustrating that
ambition can never exist without collaboration.
Class of 2018, our version of handball will be
the stuff of legends … Our version of handball
is special because we play it with smiles on
our faces. Whether in applying to colleges
or suffering through exams, we have done it
with an unwavering sense of humour—we take
ourselves lightly and our purpose seriously.
Never forget this place and never forget each
other. Never forget the friends you’ve made,
and in particular, never forget the friends we’ve
known the longest and owe the most to—our
parents.
Class of 2018, we are products of the teachers,
families and friends, who have shown us how to
learn, how to teach, how to serve, how to make
mistakes, and how to bounce back. Dover Class
of 2018, keep playing handball, don’t forget to
call your mom, and don’t grow up too quickly.
Thank you, I love you all, and congratulations.”
Arinjay Singhai ’18
Former Student Council Chair and Class speaker
“There’s a … saying of Dr Martin Luther
King’s which President Obama had
stitched into the rug of the Oval Office
… and I hope you will stitch it into your
hearts and carry it with you. ‘The arc of
the moral universe is long, but it bends
toward justice.’ … There are two ways
to live our lives. In hope or in fear. I’m
here to tell you that hope is the right
choice … And remember—even when
you can’t see the bend in the arc of
moral progress—it’s still there.”
Ros Wynne-Jones ’89
Journalist
and Dover Graduation guest speaker
575
students
53
scholars
77
countries
“… Individual stories at East can never be told
without mention of the friends we made …
Our friends made our time here memorable by
… challenging us to be better, and being with
us during the torrid times …
For some of us, East was where the virtue
of empathy clawed its way into our hearts,
developing in us a genuine concern for others,
where … putting a smile on the face of others,
meant more to us than even our own happiness
…
East was filled with an enormous support
system of adults and young people … I’m sure,
we can all attest to the matured minds we
now have—nurtured in a dynamic community
existent without prejudice, and with respect for
your points of view …
To the class of 2018, we did it … Today is the
turning point … that has the propensity to shape
the course of our lives as we’re being ushered
into entirely new experiences … Go on to make
a mark on the world through the force of your
own ideas, personality, resources and desire.
And, [when] asked what high school you went to,
you can say ‘I went to UWCSEA East … which
opened my heart, opened my mind and finally
opened my eyes’.”
Nana Kwame Nyarko-Ansong ’18
UWC NC scholar from Ghana and Class speaker
“ I think you’ll realise as you get older
… that you need a focus. You need
something to keep you founded when
the world tries to knock you off of your
kindness and your empathy. You need
… a mission that directs what you do
every single day … that brings out—in
the brightest and fullest ways—exactly
who you are … So graduates, I want you
to remember … connect who you are to
what the world needs the most. And …
fight for it hard.”
Josh Tetrick
Founder and CEO of JUST
and East Graduation guest speaker
Robin Macatangay ’83
By Jessica Wagner ’10
Robin Macatangay has been a guitarist
since he was 14 years old, playing in a
band called ‘Quasimodo’. After playing
in school discos, concerts, musicals,
and events during his seven years at
UWCSEA, he spent the next 30 years
working as a professional guitarist
in “every kind of gig—from bars to
overseas tours to recording sessions”.
Earlier this year, I had the unique pleasure
of meeting Robin and listening to him
perform in the Broadway sensation,
Hamilton, in New York City. His first
permanent Broadway chair position,
Robin is currently the guitarist for
Hamilton. “In the past I had thought of
exploring Broadway, but it really wasn’t
an option as I was busy touring and
wasn’t in town enough. My friend had
been hired as the bass player and he
recommended me to Alex Lacamoire, the
musical director of Hamilton. Lucky for
me, after we met and he heard me play,
he decided I was right for Hamilton.”
Robin describes Hamilton as “simply
the opportunity of a lifetime. It is
so unique and different, and such a
magnificent work of art. To be part of
history, of something so innovative and
groundbreaking is a blessing.” He even
had the extraordinary opportunity to
perform a set of Hamilton songs with
the original cast at the White House for
President Barack Obama and First Lady
Michelle Obama. “The significance of
the occasion was quite overwhelming.
Meeting the Obamas before the
performance was just the coolest thing.”
When asked about his plans for the
future, he notes: “I will keep playing on
Hamilton—it will be here for a while! We
get to sub out, and it’s important to do
Broadway
10 OneºNorth December 2018
other musical projects to keep ourselves
fresh. We have done over a thousand
shows now, and we strive to play each
show with the same intensity as the very
first time. I do other music gigs whether
they are in clubs, touring or studio work.
It’s important to me that I maintain my
edge and continue to do the kind of work
that shaped me as a musician. This is
what led me to Hamilton and what will
lead me to the next endeavour.”
Robin has always been into music, all
throughout his seven years at UWCSEA.
“Some of my fondest memories were
playing guitar in the school musicals
and concerts. That was where I got
to be good friends with people I am
still in touch with today. I loved the
vinyl collection in the school library
and spent many hours there.” This
musical inclination was nurtured and
encouraged during his school years:
“The music teachers Mr Pigot and Mr
Edwards, who was my tutor in my senior
years, were very supportive towards
me. Many staff members got involved in
the arts events and participated on the
performance or production sides. There
were always teachers acting, singing,
strumming guitars.”
Robin’s musical talent has not only
landed him many gigs, it also led him
to his wife, UWCSEA alumna Tracey
Hung ’83. “I have known Tracey since I
began at UWCSEA. We were in the same
English, French and Spanish classes. We
became good friends during fifth year
(Grade 10), as we started doing shows
together. She was in the Godspell cast
and I was the guitar player—we have
been married 31 years now!” Tracey has
been selling real estate in Manhattan
for nearly 20 years, but she and Robin
have clearly passed their artistic DNA
down to their son Ross, who has entered
a music conservatory this fall to study
classical voice and opera.
After graduating from UWCSEA, Robin
“took a gap year and worked in Singapore
as a professional musician and gained
valuable experience playing in clubs, on
TV shows and in recording sessions.” He
then decided to attend Berklee College of
Music in Boston. He says, “I wanted to go
to Berklee because many of my musical
heroes went there, and I felt it would be
the right place for me. I grew up playing
rock and soul, and wanted to learn some
jazz. It’s a great school for contemporary
music and for preparing people for
professional music careers.”
Robin has had a truly amazing career
thus far, playing with some incredibly
talented artists. He cites playing with
jazz singer Lizz Wright in Johannesburg,
South Africa, as one of his greatest
experiences as a professional guitarist.
“The concert was special. I also toured
the city and visited historical sites,
which was very moving.”
For budding young artists hoping to
carve their own musical career path,
Robin provides the following advice:
“Towards the end of our time at
UWCSEA, when everyone was getting
their college applications in, I was at
a crossroads. I felt pressure to apply
to a university to study something
“sensible”. My heart was set on
becoming a professional guitarist. I
was lucky that my mom convinced my
dad to support my desire to become
a professional musician, and allowed
me to take a year off to work before
going to music college. It could have
turned out very differently had I gone
to university to study something like
business to make my dad happy! I was
fortunate to have the opportunities
to play music while I was at UWCSEA.
But it was also very important that I
was involved in the Singapore music
scene at a young age. This gave me the
experience and courage to follow my
path as an artist. My advice to students
is to always be aware of and respect the
Singapore culture and the people. If you
are artistically inclined, get involved in
the Singapore arts scene. Don’t forget
that there is a community outside the
school—that is part of the education.”
musician
Jessica Wagner ’06
Jessica Wagner graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of
Commerce specialising in Finance and minoring in Economics. She is currently based in
Bermuda, working as a Risk Analyst at an Investment Management firm.
December 2018 OneºNorth 11
Physician-physicist with a
passion for education
Kyong Christopher Oh ’91
Chris Oh ’91, attended UWCSEA from 1985 through 1990, graduating early at the
age of 16, when he was accepted into the Honour’s Program in Medical Education
(HPME), a combined, accelerated BA/MD program at Northwestern University. Chris,
who speaks five languages, currently works as an internist in Chicago, USA, but as the
interview below reveals, he does so much more than practice medicine. We caught up
with Chris over email and here is his story.
Where did you spend your early years?
I was born in South Korea and moved to
Malaysia when I was nine. We lived in
Johor Bahru, and my two older brothers
and I commuted to school in Singapore.
Every day we crossed the causeway
and went through immigration on both
sides twice daily. It was an interesting
experience.
When you left UWCSEA, where did
you go?
After graduating from UWCSEA in 1990
I started the HPME at Northwestern.
This is a great program for those who
know they want to go into medicine
but also have another area they want
to explore during their undergraduate
years. I took three years off from the
medical program to study subatomic and
particle physics at Caltech, obtaining a
Master of Science (MS) degree. Following
that, I finished medical school, a three-
year residency in Internal Medicine and
started private practice.
What inspired your interest in
medicine and physics?
I was drawn to medicine and to physics
through my love of science. The inner
workings of a living organism have
always fascinated me and even though
science and technology have advanced
a great deal, it still amazes me how little
we know about the human body and the
origins of life. Medicine also gives me
an opportunity to help people, which is
very empowering for me and something
I’ve always wanted to do.
My passion for physics developed during
my undergraduate years. My experience
at Caltech was amazing. I had the
opportunity to take classes from
physicists doing cutting edge research,
including John Schwartz, one of the
founders of String Theory, as well as Kip
Thorne and Barry Barrish who won the
Nobel prize in physics in 2017 for their
work on Gravitational Wave detection.
I understand you have initiated
several volunteer projects in
Guatemala. Can you describe them?
In 2012, on a vision care trip to
Guatemala, I noticed the lack of basic
healthcare in the rural areas where
people live on farms far away from a
clinic. I proposed that the best way
to provide ongoing medical care to
rural areas like this would be to teach
volunteers living in the villages how
to treat basic medical conditions
and provide medications so they can
treat themselves. Since 2013, our
church has provided funds each year
to teach volunteer ‘health promoters’,
many of whom are illiterate, how to
treat common illnesses. The health
promoters charge a small fee, which
they then use to buy more medicine. In
this way, the program is sustainable and
does not depend on ongoing funding
other than for the initial education. In
2017, 34 health promoters provided
2,211 patient visits in their own
community.
I also developed a system where the
health promoters submit treatment logs
to the main clinic every few months and
staff there upload them into an online
database. In this way, I can keep track of
treatment data in real time, from the U.S.
In the future, I would like to create similar
sustainable healthcare systems for other
rural areas of the world.
In addition to working with health
promoters, we also work with traditional
midwives known as comadronas.
Comadronas, most of whom again are
illiterate, provide prenatal and postnatal
care to pregnant women, and deliver
babies at home. However, due to lack
of training and resources, mortality
for both newborns and mothers in this
setting has traditionally been high. I
created an ongoing educational program
whereby these traditional comadronas
would come to a central clinic once a
Chris Oh evaluating a sick child in Guatemala
12 OneºNorth December 2018
month and watch teaching videos I have
created on USB and YouTube, and work
with a mannequin to practice what they
have learned. I understand that many
other Spanish speaking clinics are now
using them.
On that first trip to Guatemala in 2012,
we also found that the clinic we visited
had a donated ultrasound machine
that no one knew how to use. We
knew that teaching a doctor how to
use one would be very time consuming
and was not something that could be
done during a one or two-week trip.
So I came up with a strategy of using
Skype to teach the team how to do
basic prenatal ultrasound scans. The
internet connection was slow and
there were many technical challenges
but after several meetings between a
radiologist, obstetrician and myself in
the US and the doctors in the clinic, we
confirmed that they were able to do
basic scans and detect anomalies. They
are also now able to send us ultrasound
To read the extended interview
with this amazing alumnus who
works tirelessly to improve health
and education not only in his own
country, USA, but in remote areas
of a developing country far away,
please visit UWCSEA Perspectives at
perspectives.uwcsea.edu.sg
available to them. I was able to connect
enthusiastic graduate students from the
Department of Physics and Astronomy
at Northwestern University with nearby
Elementary and Middle Schools to give
presentations on science and astronomy.
I also worked with Northwestern’s
Department of Education to put
together an inquiry-based teaching
curriculum that the graduate students
could use for their presentations. The
program has been very successful so far.
During my medical trips to Guatemala
I had a chance to visit rural schools as
well, where it was clear that teachers
lacked basic curriculum to teach core
subjects like mathematics, so I created
a basic maths curriculum based on
Singapore maths. I have heard that
this is still being used and students are
reported to be learning the material well.
images that we can review. The clinic
has since informed us that after using
the ultrasound technology, their rates of
birth-related complications and deaths
have been significantly reduced.
After seeing the success in this one
clinic, I reached out to the Ministry
of Health in Guatemala and was
introduced to the doctor in charge of
the district of Quetzaltenango who
informed me that none of the clinics
in his district had ultrasound due
to funding issues. Through private
fundraising I was able to purchase and
donate eight ultrasound machines. I
have also created YouTube training
videos for the doctors, demonstrating
basic obstetric ultrasound techniques.
I would like to implement this strategy
in other rural areas of the world to help
reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.
I understand you are also passionate
about K–12 science education. Can
you describe your interests and
initiatives in this area?
I believe that education is the most
important thing, not just for students
but for everybody. Even in my medical
practice I try as much as I can to educate
my patients on their medical condition
and the inner workings of their body.
When my children started attending
school in Chicago, I realised that
teachers in most cases, appreciate
having additional resources made
Chris Oh with Mayan family
Chris Oh demonstrating ultrasound
December 2018 OneºNorth 13
Service Learning in
the Primary School
The Starfish Exhibition—A Celebration
of Primary Service, inspired by the
Starfish Story which tells the tale
of a young boy making a difference
to one starfish by returning it to the
ocean, was held to give Dover Primary
students an opportunity to reflect on
the service they have been involved in
over the year. The intention was that the
students recognise the impact of their
contributions and understand that many
small acts combined, can have a large
impact, creating positive change in the
world around them.
Student mathematicians
put to the test at SEAMC 18
SINGAPORE
This year marked East Campus’ first
time hosting the competition, a
decade after Dover hosted it in 2008.
Student organisers produced a training
programme to not only incite passion for
mathematics but challenge participants
and explore the elegance of mathematics
in unfamiliar contexts. Ranking second
overall, this year UWCSEA achieved its
best results in the past ten years.
TEDx UWCSEA
This year’s TEDxUWCSEADover students,
in Febuary 2018, guided by the concept
of ‘beyond’, drew together speakers,
including current staff and students, who
inspired the audience to consider, among
other things, what it means to have a
meaningful life, how to courageously
share one’s own mistakes and how to
champion innovative practices aimed at
protecting the environment.
By Anavi Baddepudi, Serena Liu, Sophia Jia and Yufan Feng, Grade 10
members of the Student Alumni Council.
Year in review
UWCSEA supports
transformational education for
refugee youth
Earlier this year, UWCSEA received a
visit from the two UWC alumnae—Polly
from Atlantic and Mia from Mahindra—
who first envisioned Sky School back in
2016 to offer a secondary curriculum
for refugee and displaced youth. East
Campus Director of Teaching and
Learning Stuart MacAlpine serves as
the organisation’s pro bono Director
of Education, leading the development
of the curriculum and modules for a
full high school diploma. Several other
UWCSEA community members have
joined the cause as well, including a
student focus group that meets weekly.
Sky School launched a pilot in late 2017
using a blended model of online and
classroom lessons to youth refugees
in Amman, Jordan; Kakuma Camp,
Kenya and Athens, Greece. Feedback is
overwhelmingly positive.
SEASAC 2017/2018 Round-up
With a combined 15 SEASAC
Championship titles across the College
in the 2017/2018 academic year, it has
again been a very successful year in sport.
Players from the Dover Phoenix and East
Dragon teams continue to embrace the
mindset that ‘strong habits today will
help fulfil our dreams for tomorrow’ and
this year’s SEASAC results continue to
reflect the students’ ongoing dedication
and commitment to strong habits.
Zero Waste Initiatives on
Campus
Student and staff groups and individuals
across the college are working to reduce
the use of disposables—especially single-
use plastics—in our community, and are
taking and promoting meaningful action
to reduce consumption and waste,
including composting initiatives and up-
cycling of ‘waste’ materials.
A sample of life on our campuses during the 2017/2018 academic year.
14 OneºNorth December 2018
Students advocating for solar
energy
As Solar for East launched in March
2018, what began as a Grade 5 Expo
project on Dover Campus in 2008 has
become a College-wide mission to reduce
our reliance on fossil fuels. Aside from
enhancing environmental activism and
awareness within the College, the solar
programmes on both campuses provide
a wealth of learning opportunities.
Activities run each week, and student
members lead the marketing,
communication and fundraising elements
of the programme.
UWC Day
UWC Day 2018, took place across all 17
UWC colleges on Friday, 21 September,
coinciding with World Peace Day.
Planning of events to implement the
theme this year ‘Inspire Change’ was
completely student-driven. Activities
included beach cleaning to transforming
the Tent Plaza into an awareness
exhibition, educating the community
about various causes including the plight
of refugees and human rights, and giving
students a voice in these issues through a
letter writing campaign station.
To read more visit UWCSEA Perspectives
at perspectives.uwcsea.edu.sg
Community Fair
On Saturday, 3 February, the UWCSEA
community gathered for the Community
fair organised by the Dover Parents’
Association. More than 12 attractions
including a lively student jam session,
were spread around the campus. At the
International Food Pavilion, more than
45 regional delicacies were on offer,
including many healthy and sustainable
choices. A zero-food-leftover initiative
was implemented, the Community
Market highlighted green retailers and
interative platforms promoted healthy
lifestyle changes.
Students win big at Young
Technopreneurs Challenge
Set with the task of creating a solution for
one of the UN Sustainable Development
goals, three UWCSEA teams won the
top prizes at the Young Technopreneurs
Challenge Expo and Finals ceremony
in April 2018. Team COPE (Grade 6,
Dover) impressed judges with their idea
of building an app to help low-income
families order basic necessities, while
Team INFINERGY, (Grade 9, East) tackled
the issue of providing equal access to
affordable and clean energy to all. Team
FUTURE won the Most Innovative Prize
for the 10-12 year old category (Grade 6,
Dover) by coming up with an innovative
approach to tackling gender inequality.
OPUS 2018
Congratulations to the UWCSEA Dover
musicians and singers on a fantastic
evening of music making on 7 March at
the Esplanade Concert Hall!
December 2018 OneºNorth 15
Restoring natural
heritage on
Dover Campus
UWCSEA is committed to making environmental stewardship a
major part of every child’s education. The College community
has adopted 304 indigenous trees since 2011, contributing to
the conservation and protection of endangered and native tree
species from around the region.
A future forest—Class of 2017 Dover
In 2017, the graduating class of Dover Campus donated funds
to develop the ‘Future Forest’, one of a number of planned
planting zones where donors can contribute to UWCSEA’s
Adopt-a-Tree project. The funds enabled the construction of
a new walkway into this rapidly developing native forest, as
well as extensive mulching of trees, and information boards
to be installed in coming months. The walkway was essential
to allow classes to access this steeply sloping area and the
mulching is required while the forest develops on the infertile
ground. The gift was the idea of Arjun Krishnan ’17, then Chair
of the Student Council and long-standing member of the
Rainforest Restoration Project. This mini Rainforest will not
only enhance biodiversity on campus but allow many future
students the rare opportunity to study and engage in practical
nature conservation right here on campus.
“It just goes to prove
that some gifts really
do keep on giving.”
Nathan Hunt
Class of 2017 Future Forest
A living memory—Class of 1990 Memorial Trees
In 2010, on the occasion of their 20th anniversary, the Class of
1990 funded a row of eight lovely Gnetum gnemon trees through
the UWCSEA Foundation, in memory of eight classmates who
had sadly passed away in the intervening years. A ninth tree, a
Shorea sumatrana in memory of another former classmate who
passed away later, was added in 2015.
That row of trees planted on the edge of the Ayer Rajah football
pitch at the back of campus, started to fruit this Spring. UWCSEA
Director of Sustainability Nathan Hunt says, “We collected the
fruit even though the great height that the trees have already
reached made getting all of it tricky! We can now raise more
of these elegant trees from seed in our Rainforest Nursery. The
trees also provide a protective and attractive frame for our
ornamental plant nursery and the entrance to our urban forest
that we are creating on the slopes down to the AYE.”
Head of Dover Service and leader of the Middle School
Rainforest Restoration Project group Frankie Meehan says,
“Another interesting fact about the fruits of these trees is that
they can be processed to make Emping Belinjau chips, which are
available in local shops. They have a slightly bitter taste, but I
find them rather ‘moreish’!”
“At a time when our natural environment is
so threatened, we hope that these trees on
campus serve as both a living memory of our
friends as a well as a call to action to current
UWCSEA students to fight back.”
Sumi Dhanarajan ’90
Class of ’90 tree
Gnetum gnemon seed
EXPLORE THE
POSSIBILITIES
https://www.uwcsea.edu.sg/mystory
18 OneºNorth December 2018