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LUMEN | JOSEPHIANS
My
Josephian Journey
By Ian Ernst Chai
There is always the risk of over-glossing the running the foolhardy risk of taking too much on my past with the forgiving lens of retrospection , plate . It was my teachers who reached out to me : Mr or even of presenting only the more glossy Lim Meng Chye in class , Mr Sirhan Ahmadiah and aspects of my experience but I ’ ll try to avoid this Mr Colin Lai in the band , Ms Deborah Goh in the while describing my Josephian journey .
Legion of Mary , and of course my friends who saw
I ended up in SJI due to my PSLE score that me through this period . I will always be thankful for had disappointed both my parents and me . However their support because I do not think I could ever it turned out to be the choice that has made such a achieve much in life without it . These formative positive impact on my life that I cannot fully years in SJI had taught me how to balance my describe . responsibilities and academic work . The grades
A few situations and periods that defined my mattered , but so did my friends and the people I was Josephian life , directly influence the values and working with . principles I chose as mine to live and answer to . The Thus I was rather silly in expecting 8 A1s with first time I encountered the strong sense of the amount of time , or lack thereof , that I was putting community was in Brother Jason Blaikie ’ s and into my studies . What I gained was skills like time Madam Lily Kwang ’ s class of 109 and 209 . Both management , communication and my thinking and teachers always encouraged us to speak up and writing skills improved . SJI has helped me grow voice our views . Being able to speak confidently and holistically more than can be captured by mere words . boldly is something I came to learn later in my
The next part of my journey took place in SJI Josephian experience . Our class was united despite International . Prompted by my godfather , I seriously the diverse personalities , dispositions , and considered the prospect of applying for the backgrounds . This sense of community really made scholarships offered to SJI boys . I decided on it as its mark on me . Whenever I am part of a committee being part of a pioneer batch was an exciting , if not or organisation , I inevitably try to emulate that same scary prospect . It was a rare opportunity to build a sense that I had experienced in my years at SJI . school culture and community from scratch , found
Another of these experiences was that of being societies and new CCAs , if ever there was a test of the Drum Major of the Military Band . It was a very my leadership and communication skills that I had trying and stressful time for me trying to juggle my learnt thus far , it would be this . academic work , the demands of organising and
Moreover , I had also decided if I continued meeting the expectations of the band ’ s 50th with the instructive , didactic ways of learning Anniversary , my other co-curricular commitments , that characterised the ‘ O ’ and ‘ A ’ Level and just the whole process of growing up during syllabus , I would not do well . Often I felt one ’ s adolescence . My grades were suffering like a sponge soaking up information in because I did not manage my time well , and on top class and from notes , and fell asleep , of that I had many responsibilities within the band on one hand due to a lack of sleep , from daily practices , boosting members ’ spirit , on another because I would feel preparing for the Singapore Youth Festival very bored in class . Let me clarify , competition , Renaissance concert , Anniversary while SJI teachers were quite Parade to mace work . Nonetheless , being part of the possibly the most interesting band gave me an immense sense of belonging and teachers with tongue-in-cheek pride , especially in leading it . jokes , the demands of the
By choosing to be involved in so many things , syllabus made it such that I was either challenging myself and hoping to see boredom was sometimes inevitable . the rewards reaped for the band and myself , or just So , I took the plunge and joined the school
When he was in SJI Junior , he was perhaps best remembered as the finalist in the game show Singapore ’ s Brainiest Child . At SJI , he was Drum Major of the SJI Military Band , and at SJI International , he was part of the pioneer batch of the school ’ s International
Baccalaureate Diploma Programme , and became President of the Student
Council . He is now pursing a Law course at Oxford
University under a Public
Service Commission Overseas Merit Scholarship . LUMEN invited Ian to share about his journey in the Lasallian schools , and about his life at Oxford now .