ALUMNI | LUMEN
21
Writing forLife
By Jason Sutanto
Clean-cut , clad in a pair of jeans and a smartcasual t-shirt , Jason Li is more a picture of a celebrity than a prominent young journalist . “ Don ’ t judge a book by a cover ,” the friendly Josephian ’ s smart outlook and youth belies the fact that he was the Deputy Bureau Chief of the Toronto branch of Monocle – a popular global affairs UK magazine .
SJI set the foundation of my value system .
Despite his accolades and a glowing resume that includes working for established presses such as The New York Times in Hong Kong in the coming year , and interviewing a myriad of eminent politicians and notable artistes , one would instantly be struck by Jason ’ s down-to-earth demeanor . With an eye and flair for words , it is hard to imagine that journalism had not been the Josephian ’ s life-long dream .
So what made Jason discard the popular option to study law and pursue journalism , a path that is seen to be less glamorous ? The answer would be the passion for language and writing that SJI had nurtured in him .
Like any other primary school student fresh after graduating from PSLE , Jason did not probe much into his own character , nor give much thought to his distant future . “ I wasn ' t the introspective kind before SJI ,” adds the writer in a light-hearted manner , laughing . The young Jason saw himself leaning towards the languages naturally , since he performed well in them . They were blind infatuations and would have remained so if not for his teachers , particularly his English teachers , Mrs Janet Kwok and Ms Daisy Chia who did more than just teach ; they opened the portal to a new world shaped by language . He explains , “ In Lower Secondary , Mrs Kwok was very passionate in the subject and made me really interested in English while in Upper Secondary Ms Chia made me realize the potential of language especially through the study of Literature .” It didn ’ t take long for his interest to transform into a love affair .
Besides honing his flair for writing , Jason opines , “ SJI set the foundation of my value system ,” that he finds applicable in his work life to this day . He elaborates that
though an integral part of being a journalist is interacting with others , even for an experienced journalist like himself , meeting prominent leaders of a society is still , at times , a daunting task . This is where SJI comes into play . “ I remember reading the school diary and there was a value that really impressed on me ”, he recalls . Curious and eager to embrace the value in the hope of creating a shortcut in my journey at SJI , I asked him what the value was , listening intently .
He continued , “ The value that struck me was that as a Josephian , you would be able to eat comfortably with the rich and needy and have enough confidence to find yourself in any social setting – be it clinking champagne glasses at a gala or eating at a coffee shop or a one-room flat – that you would be able to be the same person .”
Despite graduating from SJI back in 2004 , Jason holds the Josephian principle of respect for others close to his heart , treating each and every person he meets with dignity , whether it is a minister or conversely the resident of a one-room flat . He explained , “ More importantly , I realized the underlying concept that all of us are human beings .”
When asked about his fondest memories in SJI , a wide smile appeared on his face as he reminisces playing catch in the wee hours of the
morning before indulging in his favourite fried chicken wings from the Ayam Penyet stall . Of course , he also remembers the intensive yet heartwarming period of time leading up to the GCE ' O ' levels . He recollected , “ During the night studies nearing the exams , we would stay in the library with our classmates up till 9pm doing our Ten-Year Series assessment books . That was the period of time I truly bonded with my classmates and felt the sense of community in SJI .” Little did Jason know that these were the classmates that would turn into his life-long friends .
Despite his busy schedule in his momentary return to Singapore before he leaves to work in Hong Kong later this year , Jason still sets aside time for his SJI friends , whom he keeps in close contact with . He adds , “ We are all in different stages of our lives , each with a different career ; we couldn ’ t be any different . But I ’ m thankful that we are still close in the sense that we can share about our lives and joke around with each other ; these friendships get more precious as you grow older .” On top of that , he has been coming to SJI almost weekly for about a month to mentor the JC 1 students in creative writing ( the students ’ work pay tribute to the different spaces and artwork and the canteen stall vendors in this issue of Lumen ). This is not the first time he is giving back to his alma mater . The previous occasion saw him conducting a journalism workshop for JC students .
With a group of close-knit friends and a strong foundation of values cultivated during his time in SJI , it is no doubt that Jason will continue to thrive in his endeavors and impact any community he is placed in .
This page ( bottom ): Jason providing feedback to the JC 1s