Extraordinary Care,
The Eagle Way
SAS Alumni Respond TO Covid-19
By S H A R M I S H TA S I VA A M A K R I S H N A N (Class of 2012) It’s safe to say that 2020 has been a memorable year thus far, enveloping all of us in the unfamiliar, inciting sentiments of uncertainty, doubt, sadness, frustration, and fear. The COVID-19 pandemic has left us asking ourselves what really matters, how we can care for ourselves while remembering the needs of those less fortunate, and ultimately asking ‘now what’? Amidst the bleak nature of our world, there are countless stories of how communities have come together, reminding us of our obligation to our planet and to each other. For the last few years, I have been working in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, managing an incredible community of the world’s most influential and socially minded leaders across Asia. During this pandemic, we’re working to mobilize the highest levels of leadership around the world to collaborate and reshape our new normal. My time in Singapore American School during middle and high school was an amalgamation of more exams than I can count, (several) feelings of social awkwardness, angst, and on many occasions, felt like a scene from The Perks of
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Being a Wallflower. I also experienced many special moments and most importantly, a sense of cohesive community—that for a nomadic young student like myself, offered an anchor I had never encountered. Interim Semester in my sophomore year at SAS introduced me to a lifelong relationship with Caring for Cambodia (CFC). My involvement with CFC has steadfastly reminded me of the value of community as a tenet of public service. As 21 CFC schools closed down due to the pandemic, I was reminded ever so clearly of our collective responsibility to our communities: to care endlessly and ensure that no one is left behind. And now, during this tumultuous time, the sense of extraordinary care infused in the school’s cornerstones is embodied so vibrantly in its alumni. Here is an ever-growing compendium of just how SAS alumni—serving in the capacity of healthcare workers, volunteers, corporate leaders, and more—have retrieved their Eagle spirit and loyally serve the communities they live in.