CHAPTER TWO
Senior Section
Spirit of SJI Award & Lasallian Distinguished Leadership and Service Award
Vedant Chauhan
( TG615 )
Vedant is a self-assured individual with an endearing charisma . Positive in the face of difficult situations , he resolves problems effectively by listening to his peers and is guided by his faith in the people around him . While always respectful of authority , he has the moral courage to stand for what is right and wields diplomacy expertly , building strong relationships within the school community .
With his high emotional intelligence , Verdant is strongly empathetic and especially skilled at conflict management , making him an ideal leader . Fellow Lasallian Award winner Neil Bhargava , Verdant is “ very passionate and vocal about his beliefs , inspiring those around him ”. He has taken on many leadership roles , including that of class chairman and a school prefect . He was appointed as Deputy Head Prefect and the Vice President of the Secondary Student Council in 2015 . Dedicating himself to always providing a safe and engaging learning environment for his peers , he was eventually elected as the President of the 5th Senior Student Council in 2017 with unanimous support . In this role , he had oversight of various sub-committees that worked for the student body and key school events . He was a key influence in the successes of many school led events and student initiated activities . Vedant ’ s sense of leadership has matured with his time in SJI . He has a clear philosophy for leadership asserting that “ Meaningful leadership is not about creating more followers but empowering more leaders .” Vedant continues to work at creating a new generation of leaders .
residences , addressing the increasingly relevant social issue of a greying population in Singapore . In 2017 , he travelled to Thailand and assisted with the building of mushroom huts in a local school to both generate additional revenue for the establishment , and diversify sources of nutrition for its underprivileged students .
Alphonsus Yong , a close friend , aptly describes Vedant , “ Aside from his prowess in leadership , Vedant is a person full of character , always putting the interests of SJI and the meaning of friendship first ”. Vedant ’ s passion for service to others leaves little doubt that he will continue to be an inspirational leader in bringing positive change to the world on a grander stage .
Vedant ’ s resilience and passion empowers him persevering against the trials and tribulations he has encountered in his journey thus far . His football CAS teacher Mr . Senthil Kumaran often shares how despite beginning with technical shortcomings , Vedant ’ s motivation saw him deservedly cement himself as the first choice center-back for 2018 ’ s NSG ‘ A ’ division championships . He was a vital cog who enabled his team to reach the quarterfinals of this competition for the first time in the school ’ s history . It is also worth noting he finished this journey as the highest scoring defender after two years .
Vedant has a passion for community building and addressing social issues . Working with a team in SJI PRISM , Vedant developed a ‘ smart chair ’ that could help the elderly in their
32 ST JOSEPH ’ S INSTITUTION