The ACSOBA hosted the 8th ONE ACS Career Forum at ACS (Independent) for the students, parents and alumni of the ACS family and the Methodist schools in Singapore on July 27. Organised by the ACSOBA and sponsored by the ACS Foundation (ACSF), the Forum is the largest annual flagship ONE ACS event that reaches out to all our local ACS units and seeks to strengthen the bonds within the ACS family.

ACSians past and present were joined by students from our sister Methodist schools at the Centre for Performing Arts 2 of ACS (Independent) for the opening segment of the Forum. In his opening address, Lim Tat, the President of the ACS Old Boys’ Association acknowledged and thanked the many ACSian alumni who had volunteered their time to make the forum possible and encouraged the students to also heed the call to step forward and help not just ACSians, but society as well.

One of the annual highlights of the Career Forum is the C-Suite panel moderated by Jonathan Yuen, Partner, Rajah and Tann Singapore LLP. Our distinguished alumni this year were Paul Tham, CEO, Keppel REIT Management, and Lock Wai Han, CEO OKH Global Ltd. The question and answer session was enlivened by the use of the Pigeonhole application which enabled the audience to post questions directly to the panellists and also vote for questions. This resulted in a very engaging and candid session where the panellists shared their life and career experiences and advice openly.

There were over 40 alumni speakers and moderators across 15 professional disciplines that included traditional courses like Law, Medicine, Engineering, Accountancy and Banking & Finance. Disciplines such as Accounting & M a n a g e m e n t C o n s u l t a n c y, Entrepreneurship, Public Service, Media, Nursing & Allied Healthcare and Digital Innovation provided much diversity and highlighted to participants the varied pathways to successful and fulfilling careers. The panels gave students and parents a frank insight into the realities of what each career entails as shared by alumni members of that industry. The sessions also allowed for audience participation and both students and parents engaged actively in dialogue with alumni panellists. The sessions on ‘Interview Skills’ and ‘Writing your Personal Statement’ were also popular with the event attendees.

Local tertiary institutions - NTU, NUS, SIT, SMU, SUTD, and Yale-NUS were also The One ACS Career Forum 2019 present to complement and enhance the overall benefit of the Forum. Participants were able to engage with representatives from these institutions on topics such as academic modules offered, career options, and the criteria for different careers, in addition to clarifying queries on application procedures and selection requirements.

Feedback from the participants has been most heartening. One student wrote, ‘The experiences shared are things not easily found online and come from the heart… It was enlightening to know how to adapt in this fast changing world.’ A parent complimented that the speakers ‘shared information which we can’t get elsewhere. Personal opinion and experiences which are valuable for the students to know. Well done for an excellent forum.’ For the speakers and moderators, this was a special occasion to reconnect with friends and renew ties with the ACS family.

The ACSOBA Management Committee would like to thank the ACS Foundation for its sponsorship of the event, the Principals of the ACS schools for their support, the ONE ACS Career Forum 2019 Planning Committee, and in particular, our core planning team including Juliana Tengara from ACS (Independent) and members of our own OBA Management Committee and teacher and student volunteers for their time and sacrifice in pulling off the herculean task of planning and running this event.

We wish to give special thanks to Arene Koh, Principal of ACS (Independent) for graciously hosting the event, and to the amazing ACS (Independent) COG team, staff and student leaders for the logistical support. We also give thanks for the unbreakable ties that make our ACS family unique and for the ACS Spirit that lives on through all of us who devote our time, effort and resources to further the ACS call to serve our alma mater. To God Be The Glory, The Best Is Yet To Be!

Jonathan Yuen
ACSOBA Management Committee