JOSEPHIANS | LUMEN
21
Micaela Leong : How were you inspired to start a mountain-climbing club ? Samuel Chin : I visited the Nepal Himalayas in March 2012 , prior to matriculating in SUTD . While I was there , I enjoyed the serenity that the mountains provided . I reached a height of 5,545m , and I wanted to challenge myself to go higher , and go for a relatively technical peak . As such , I went into SUTD with the intention to start a mountaineering club .
SUTD is a new school and could do with good publicity . As such , it was my goal to do something big for SUTD and pursue my passion of mountaineering at the same time . This was how we started .
ML : How long did all the preparation for the climb take ? SC : Officially , the physical preparation was from November 2013 to August 2014 . This included training five times a week : two gym sessions , two endurance sessions , and one at Bukit Timah , where we carried backpacks of 18 kilograms and walked for three to four hours . That ’ s only the training process . The hardest part was to convince people to buy our idea and to support our cause . We also had to raise funds , and that took a lot more time than training . So , I would actually say that the preparation started from the time I matriculated in May 2012 .
ML : If you were on that mountain top right now , and everyone in the world was listening to you , what would you say ? SC : Now that ’ s an interesting question that I was never asked before . I read a lot of philosophy in the mountains , so I would probably say something philosophical .
On your death bed , your life may be measured based on fame and material gains , since that is what the world is about today . But in the long run , the impact you would have made may be minimal . Having established this , a more noble cause would be to measure your life on how many people you inspire with good philosophy - because philosophy never dies . Confucius , Lao Zi , Marcus Aurelius , Descartes , Plato , Aristotle , all live amongst us today .
In one sentence : inspire others with good philosophy , and the world will be a better place .
ML : What inspired you and the group to press on during the climb ? What was your motivation ? SC : Each individual has their own motivation for making this climb . As the leader , it was my duty to align the vision of each individual with the team vision . The team vision , was of course , to do something for SUTD and to make our dream a reality . On top of that , we spent a lot time training together and helping each other during this journey , and developed a strong team spirit amongst us . We didn ’ t want to leave anyone behind . Thankfully , all eight of us supported each other and all of us made it to the summit .
My motivation was to name the mountain and nothing else . We wanted our big dream to become a reality so we can inspire our peers back at SUTD to do the same . We are really fortunate to have succeeded .
ML : Were there any experiences or values that you gained from your schooling in SJI that helped you in this task ? SC : Well I think the values-based education in SJI helped a lot . It gives you a good moral grounding from a young age . I needed to make decisions a few times and I ’ m pretty sure the morals inculcated in me at SJI helped .
Facing page : Samuel Chin ( far left ) standing with his mountain-climbing team at the summit of the mountain they conquered
This page ( left ): Samuel ( centre ) and Hin Yang , first SJI pair to win in the K series
This page ( top ): Samuel receiving the Sportsman of the Year award from Mr Leong Kok Fann
... the values-based education in SJI helped a lot . It gives you a good moral grounding from a young age . I needed to make decisions a few times and I ’ m pretty sure the morals inculcated in me at SJI helped .
Samuel Chin
It is important to note that while The Straits Times article “ SUTD ’ s name scale new heights ” on 20th September 2014 featured Samuel largely since he is one of the two co-founders of the mountaineering club , Samuel was quick to post on his Facebook page that very same day : “ The article focused on me quite a bit , but this shouldn ’ t be the case , as it was a team effort and everyone in the team contributed a lot to make this a success .” What prompted Samuel to make that statement on a social media platform ? An incident from the past – his receiving the SJIOBA Sportsman Award in 2007 . He recounted : “ As I stood on that stage , I felt a little bad . That award didn ’ t entirely belong to me , as my kayaking partner , Ho Hinyang , was instrumental in helping me get that award . Well , I would say that I only “ won ” him narrowly … I had a burning desire to stop the proceedings temporarily and invite him up on stage to share [ it ] with me , but I didn ’ t have the guts to do it . I told myself I would never make the same mistake again .” Unwilling to let history repeat itself , Samuel chose instead to attribute success to his team mates of the mountaineering club , albeit on a social media stage .