St. Joseph’s Institution International School Malaysia recently held its 2nd IBDP graduation ceremony at its Tropicana PJ Campus auditorium. The ceremony which was attended by scores of graduates, parents, sponsors, teachers and VIP guests was graced this time by 3 unique Guests of Honour namely Mr Ian Chai, Ms Desiree Leong and Mr Nikodemus Jaya who were all founding SJII Singapore Scholars and are currently successful professionals in their respective industries in Singapore.
Dr. Nicola Brown, the High School Principal of SJIIM was seen beaming with pride at the sight of the graduates’ achievement and said “We are very proud of our second cohort of graduates. Each student has brought something meaningful to our community. They have been wonderful role models to our younger students and have acted as accomplished and dignified ambassadors for our Lasallian community. I am confident that they will carry our values of Faith, Service and Community with them and that they will derive strength and courage from these values during times of challenge. We look forward to witnessing them contribute to the world in a positive way.”
Dr Nicola Brown delivering the High School Principal’s Address
President of SJIIM – Mr Dennis Tang introducing the Guests of Honour
Ms. Maureen Fitzgerald, the IBDP Coordinator of SJIIM was equally elated with the performances of her charges for the past 2 years, saying, “I am so proud of this amazing group of young people. It is an honour and a privilege to be a part of this stage of their life journey, as they move from high school to the next destinations in their lives. The contributions that they have brought to the school will continue after they have left, and will be felt in the next places that they are going. They are a real testament to the changes that come from the IB Diploma Programme, when students really put their whole selves forward in the opportunities and challenges that it affords.”
One of the Guests of Honour – Mr Ian Chai delivering his speech
The Guests of Honour congratulated the graduates on completing their IB Diploma with flying colours. In their graduation address, they advised the graduates to be steadfast in their perspectives for whichever career path they take for the future and to suffuse their work with meaning and purpose. One of the Guests of Honour, Ms Desiree Leong who is a Legal Consultant at the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) agency in Singapore commended SJIIM on the tremendous strides it has taken in producing well rounded graduates in such a short period of time for a young school. SJIIM’s IBDP graduates also had a special opportunity to chat with, Ms Desiree Leong, Mr Ian Chai and Mr Nikodemus Jaya earlier as a tea reception was organised for the three Guests of Honours to meet the graduands before the Graduation Ceremony; during which they shared their respective post IBDP experiences and addressed questions raised by the graduands.
The Guests of Honour presenting the graduate certificates to our proud graduates
A total of 14 student honours were given out during the ceremony comprising 6 Academic Prizes and 8 Major Awards which included the Sportsperson of the Year Award, Outstanding Achievement Award, Lasallian Service Award, Academic Excellence Award, Principal’s Award, Arts Award, Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan Book Prize Award and the coveted Josephian of the Year Award.
Nicol Yong receiving her Josephian of the Year Award from Mr Dennis Tang
The Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan Book Prize Award was presented by Dato’ Richard Ong
Nicol Yong Jia Jia had the honor of being awarded SJIIM’s Josephian of the Year Award. A true Lasallian all-rounder who excels in academia, service work and public speaking, Nicol credited the school’s Lasallian roots, education ethos and her teachers for her success and unbelievable education experience for the past 2 years. In her speech, she thanked the school for providing them with a safe environment where they could pursue their own paths and explore the endless possibilities before them. She further credited her school mates for the joy of her education journey in SJIIM and is confident that whatever they venture into for the future will be world changing and something that they can be collectively proud of as a Josephian community. Nicol Yong also received the Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan Book Prize Award which was presented to her by Dato’ Richard Ong, Council Member from the Tan Sri Tan Foundation which is also one of SJIIM’s IBDP Scholarship Programme Sponsors. As for her tertiary education plans, Nicol will be heading to the Yale-NUS College in Singapore where she will be majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE).
| Nicol Yong Jia Jia - Josephian of the Year Speech |
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| Proin Kaur Sen Gupta - Students’ Choice Speech |
