Alumni Relations The UWCSEA alumni community extends around the globe, with alumni currently located in 110 countries worldwide. The Alumni Relations programme was established in 2006 to connect former students to one another and the school. Through these connections, the College has also been able to evaluate the impact of a UWCSEA education on students and how that continues in their life after graduation. In 2011/12, Alumni Relations increased its schedule of alumni events and enhanced services aimed at developing and maintaining strong relationships with our alumni community, including monthly electronic newsletters, biannual printed magazines, university mentor linkages between current students and alumni, intern and career services, regional networks and class activities centred around the annual reunions.
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We have alumni in all walks of life and the alumni programme has helped to confirm that many, if not most UWCSEA students retain the UWC values throughout their lives. Some choose careers that fit very neatly with those values, while others live out the values in unexpected ways in their chosen career. UWCSEA alumni are happy to give back and stay involved. In 2011/2012, many alumni volunteered to be part of the Mentor programme, offering university advice and information to current students. Others came back to present to current students on their area of expertise. Some participated in panel discussions and the annual Careers Fair, and many of those located in Singapore attend events on campus like concerts, drama productions and UN Night. UWCSEA alumni are spread out around the world, in all walks of life, but what they have in common is the shared experience of a UWC education, the knowledge that they can make a difference and the desire to do so.
“Attending UWCSEA was a privileged time for me and it is only when you look back do you fully realise exactly what that means. It was not just about learning maths or physics or history from great teachers. Nor was it just about participating in the sports teams or the ECAs in world class facilities. It was more the fact that we were part of something larger than just being at school. Being part of the UWC movement is something that stays with you for life, no matter what path you chose. The experiences you share with your classmates make you more like family and like a family those relationships will endure. Here, in later life, when you meet anybody from any UWC around the world, you have that knowing look and common bond that you’ve been through something special that only a relatively small number of people can share. Now that is a privilege.” Kiron Chahel (UWCSEA Class of 1996) (December 2012)