NBS Alumni Reunite in Strength at NTU Homecoming 2023

It was a day of reliving memories while creating new ones for many NBS alumni who brought their families and friends to NTU Homecoming 2023. Held on 14 October at NBS's new home, lauded as Asia's largest wooden building, Gaia welcomed more than 1,300 alumni and guests who reunited, bonded, and learned by participating in various workshops, lectures, showcases and networking events.

 

Bonding through exploring career aspirations

One of the activities organised by the NBS Alumni Relations was a 2-hour “Navigating Futures Together: Career Development Workshop for Parents and Teens”. It was curated for alumni who are parents and their teens aged between 16 and 19.

Parents who attended the workshop learned to communicate more effectively through active listening and empathy as well as applying conversational techniques to facilitate meaningful discussions with their teens.

In a separate session, their children attempted the RIASEC Profiling Tool which identified their strengths and interests. They were also challenged to name their role models and what they hoped to achieve in the future.

Each pair of parent and teen then gathered to discuss the findings and applied the techniques learnt to engage in a purposeful discussion to help the young ones explore their hopes and aspirations.

Mr Andrew Yeo, an NBS alumnus who attended the workshop with his 16-year-old daughter Miss Natasha Yeo, shared how he benefited from the session:

“The facilitator created a conducive environment where we could speak up and he provided the tools to help Natasha and I have constructive conversations about her interests and inclinations. The workshop was definitely helpful in helping me guide her towards her aspirations and future course of study.”

Commenting further, Ms Natasha Yeo said she found the workshop fruitful and enjoyable: “Through the profiling tool and brainstorming session, we learnt more about ourselves and the possible careers that may be suitable for us. I love that the session was interactive. It is very helpful that we get to hear from other teens who may have similar or different personalities and interest profiles.”

 

NBS Alumnus Andrew Yeo and daughter Natalie attended the workshop for parents and teens

 

Learning continuously to stay future-proof

Alumni and guests attended the popular “NTU Featured Faculty Series: Living with Technology Disruption” lecture which was delivered byProf Goh Kim Huat from NBS’s Division of Information Technology and Operations Management.

Prof Goh spoke about the disruptive forces of technology and the challenges faced by individuals, businesses, institutions, and societies as they grow and function. Through relevant research findings and case studies, the audience learnt how in-person education continues to be crucial and how to future-proof themselves in an ever-evolving technological landscape.

Ms Grace Lui, an NBS alumnus who attended Homecoming with her husband and daughter, found the lecture insightful:

“The main highlight for me was how Prof Goh talked us through the core of the topic. He brought us up to speed by identifying the aspects of industry which are likely to be displaced by technology. It was an interesting lecture and I enjoyed the thought provoking examples of social and ethical implications of adopting technology in the past, present and future.”

 

Unleashing potential by pushing the limits

Adding to the festivities at Homecoming 2023 and as a showcase of sheer tenacity and grit, Johnny Widodo, the President of NTU Alumni Association (Indonesia), who is also the NBS Alumni Advisory Board member and NBS International Alumni Representative for Jakarta, participated in the “Bus Pulling Showcase”. The crowd cheered as Mr Widodo, widely known as "The Strongest CEO" in Indonesia, successfully pulled a full-sized 45-seater bus weighing 10 tons across 20 metres on campus grounds.

Wearing many hats including being a CEO, author, speaker host, mentor to startups and strongman athlete, Mr Widodo is no stranger to the concept of pushing the limits. By walking the talk, he hopes to inspire others to unleash their potential. He said:

“When we challenge ourselves to keep pushing the limits, we can achieve so much more. I think it is important that we keep learning and pushing for opportunities to build our passion across many things. This way, we can unleash our potential to accomplish far more than we could ever imagine.”

 

NBS Alumnus Johnny Widodo pulled a full-sized 45-seater bus weighing 10 tons across 20 metres at Homecoming 2023

 

Reuniting across borders

Despite being away from the activities at Gaia, the NBS International Alumni groups took the opportunity to join in the action. The representatives in various cities organised “Reunions Around the World” events in their respective locations in conjunction with NTU Alumni Homecoming in Singapore.

Together with family members and friends, NTU and NBS alumni gathered to celebrate the camaraderie of their shared identity while expanding social and professional networks. The reunions took place in multiple cities across the globe; in Bengaluru (India), Vancouver (Canada), Zurich (Switzerland), Shenzhen (China), Melbourne (Australia) and Yangon (Myanmar).

Mr Ryan, who organised the gathering in Shenzhen, China, echoed the sentiment of those who were at the event:

“Being able to meet up with fellow NBS alumni based in the same city is wonderful. Reuniting for Homecoming even though we are away from Singapore was nostalgic and brought back fond memories. It’s great to know that we are part of the larger NBS alumni community and we remain very much connected even though we are physically away.”

 

NBS International Alumni groups organised reunion events in conjunction with NTU Alumni Homecoming in Singapore on 14 October 

 

Get in touch with our NBS International Alumni representatives should you wish to participate in these in-city events or join our vibrant overseas alumni community for more networking opportunities.