Meet Our People, SMU!SMU students are as diverse as they come, and life as an undergraduate need not be all about academia and late nights in the library. Here on campus, we have students who dare to embrace their passions and take the road less travelled. These are the students who define the SMU student: colorful, bold and different. So in this series, we seek out and showcase the students who choose

to experience the full vibrancy and color of undergraduate life here at SMU.

Featuring ...

Je! Tung Chi Fung, School of Business, 2009

My SMU Life so far….My SMU life so far has been very enrich-ing. I started my ! rst business here and I met many funny people from di" erent backgrounds. I was very much an intro-vert when I ! rst came to SMU. It is be-cause of them that I opened myself up. It is also because of them that I stand ! rm and rise up to challenges. For the past one and half year in SMU, I have been constantly pushing myself to the limit simply because I want to ! nd out how far I can go on my own at this age. The jour-ney was tough but I have enjoyed pretty much most of it.

My Interests/passionMy interests include basketball, golf and cooking.

How do you manage your aca-demic life, CCAs, personal commit-ments etc.?

It’s all about time management and pri-oritising the to-do. Since young, I have a habit of putting to-do activities on paper because I know I will get old and start to forget things. I always believe a pen will serve me better than my memory.

My typical day in SMU will be…Aside from attending lessons and project meetings, I am either awake or day dreaming. When I am awake, I make peo-ple laugh. When I am day dreaming, peo-ple laugh at me.

I spend most of my time on cam-pus doing…Trying to stay awake.

My PhilosophyThis is not the end, stay foolish, stay hun-gry!

An avid volunteer who has participated in various community service projects, Je! Tung is also the Social Enterprise Director for SMU Caretalyst. He is also a successful student entrepreneur who began his " rst business in SMU and is now the owner of his very own Subway franchise.

>Our Say:Enterprising yet socially re-sponsible, Je! Tung would make any BGS professor proud. His dedication to com-munity service goes above and beyond the 80 hours that all SMU students are expect-ed to serve. As far as we’re concerned, he could be a role model for SMU students, and has de" nitely impressed us with his generosity and dedi-cation to good causes.

SPRING/ SUMMER 2011 ISSUE6

Neo Chua Kok Keng, School of Business, 2008

My SMU Life so far….If anyone were to ask me if there are any life changing decisions that I’ve made, coming to SMU would de! nitely be one of them. This decision is one that I’ve never regretted. Looking back at the road I’ve taken before coming here, I would say that it was all worth it, be it my two years of Arts in JC, or the three years of IT in Polytechnic and even the one semester of Computer Engineering in NUS. The reason for this is that having spent three years here, I have ! nally discovered that Business is what I really like and what suits me the best. Although I have to admit that initially, I was quite taken aback by the workload in school as I’ve always had the impression that SMU’s project and seminar based curriculum would be much more relaxing compared to the other universities.

Still, the many hours spent after classes on projects with friends and school mates are pleasant memories that will remain with me long after I graduate, as they were often more fun and laugh-ter than just work and gloom. This is especially true for me since most of my friends and project mates are from the Music Interac-tive Club (MIC). I am thankful that the SMU culture allows us to bid for the same classes together, as I am somebody who ! nds it hard to warm up to new people unless we share a common in-terest. The friendships formed [in MIC] will de! nitely last all the way till I graduate and even after I start working, as not only are these friends fun loving, but they also give me much needed help and encouragement when I face problems with my assignments or work. Of course, all this is only possible in a small and tightly knitted community like ours, which is why I’ve never looked back since coming to SMU.

My Interests/passionListening to music of all genres, singing, and teaching vocals. I also enjoy mah-jong, pool and bowling.

How do you manage your academic life, CCAs, personal commitments etc.?Basically, every single day is like a roller coaster ride for me. Besides having to juggle my teaching responsibilities, performances for my CCA and music school, I still have to ! nd time to jam with my band, which basically means that I always plan my daily schedule carefully or risk having activities clash with one another. And if you

notice, I haven’t talked about school work yet.However, as tiring as it may seem, I feel that ! lling up my day with ac-tivities that I love makes life really meaningful and hence, I’ve never really felt tired at the end of any day. Rather, I feel ac-complished. More-over, these activi-ties help to drive me and boost my morale when it comes to dealing with the stress of my academic life. Even though I be-lieve that academ-ics should be a pri-ority in a student’s university life, it should not be the ONLY thing.

My typical day in SMU will be…My day starts o" with morning classes, followed by practices for MIC or external performances in the afternoon. After which I will head down to Echomusic School for lessons with vocal students and ! nally, I will jam with the band in the evening.

I spend most of my time on campus doing…Playing Left4Dead 2 or Facebook-ing on my laptop. I will also be doing research for new things to teach or share with my students.

My PhilosophyUniversity life is not just about academics. So work hard but play even harder.

If you were to pass by third year business student Neo Chua along the concourse, you might not look twice. But this unassuming student is also the lead vocalist of J-rock band Renaissance, and when he assumes his glitzy stage persona (complete with elaborate make-up and wig), even a double-take might not be enough to fully appreciate this rocker’s stylishly androgynous transformation.

>Our Say:Regular student by day and # am-boyant rocker by night, Neo is a rare breed of SMU student whose life doesn’t revolve around the endless pursuit of grades. Instead, he lives life for himself, and through his pas-sion for music ensures that he enjoys every minute of it. Our suggestion? Take a breather and rock out to histune. You know you want to.

SPRING/SUMMER 2011 ISSUE 7

Verve @ SMU

SMU students with multiple CCAs are a dime a dozen, but very few students can say that they have set up their own club. Elvia Goh is one such student whose passion and zest for Chinese orchestral music saw her setting up the SMU Chinese Orchestra (SMUCO), a club that caters to all lovers of traditional Chinese music and instruments. She has also represented the SMU Women’s soccer team in local tournaments and is on the management committee of the Whampoa Community Centre.

My SMU Life so far… SMUCO, SMUCO and SMUCO. It was de! nitely not some-thing that I expected before I entered university. How-ever, ever since the decision to set up SMUCO, my SMU life took a 360 degree turn. I realized that university life is not solely about academics. I often wonder whether spending so much time on SMUCO was worthwhile, but I guess I would never have learnt and experienced so much if not for it. The feel-ing of bringing an orchestra onstage and expressing our passion for music through each performance is in-explicable. More importantly, in SMU, where everyone is driven by their own respective interests and dreams, it spurred me to pursue my own in Chinese orchestral music. I am glad I decided to pursue my dream as it has made my SMU Life more ful! lling than ever. In fact, it al-ways warms my heart to see Chinese music enthusiasts coming together to share Chinese orchestral music with the SMU community and beyond. SMUCO has opened my eyes to many possibilities and shaped me into who I am today. I have met many people along this journey and built strong and lasting bonds with other passion-ate musicians. The memories of my journey till now have formed a meaningful and signi! cant chapter of my SMU life and are de! nitely priceless.

My Interests/passionSports and of course, MUSIC.

How do you manage your academic life, CCAs, personal commitments etc.? Despite my overwhelming CCA commitments as the Founding President, I have been blessed with under-standing group mates that try their best to accom-modate my tight schedule. On my part, I always try to prioritize di" erent tasks and deadlines, depending on their importance. This allows me to e" ectively juggle the tasks at hand and still have time for other personal commitments. Most importantly, having the support and encouragement of my beloved family and friends has certainly helped me too.

My typical day in SMU will be…Rushing to lessons, grabbing snacks (skipping meals) and heading to SMUCO’s practice room.

I spend most of my time on campus…Project and CCA meetings and of course hanging out with awesome SMUCO people!

My PhilosophyLive your dream and passion – always try to exceed the expectations people have for you.

Elvia Goh Sin Tze, School of Business, 2008

>Our Say:How many of us can say we have the word ‘Found-er’ written on our CCA transcripts? Setting up and sustaining your own CCA requires an incredible amount of e! ort and tenacity, and Elvia is de" nite-ly an all-round warrior who has her priorities fully sorted out. This musical maestro dares to pursue her dreams even if it means having to make a few sacri" ces, and her ability to bring her own passion to the student body and beyond is nothing short of amazing.

SPRING/ SUMMER 2011 ISSUE8

Verve @ SMU