Photo: Nur Hidayah Roslan
Republic Polytechnic (RP) kicked off graduation on Monday, 4th May, 2015 at The Republic Cultural Centre (TRCC). This year marks the 10th graduation ceremony and it saw the largest graduating cohort since RP’s inception in 2002. A total of 4,714 graduates collected their diplomas between 4th and 8th May, over 15 different sessions.
The first day of the five-day event had students from the School of Sports, Health and Leisure (SHL) and Centre for Enterprise and Communication (CEC) receiving their diplomas. The afternoon session for SHL students started off with the arrival of Minister Chan Chun Sing and the academic procession followed by the welcome address by the Principal and CEO of RP, Mr Yeo Li Pheow, who spoke about the importance of internship and real-world experience.
Mr Chan spent his first day as secretary-general of National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) attending Monday’s ceremony as the Guest-of-Honour.
In his first public speech since taking office Mr Chan shared his “anatomies of success”, like getting your feet wet. He said: “Especially for RP students who are known for their practical bent, I hope you get your feet wet by venturing out of your comfort zone to explore places and things that other people may not have.”
After an eager wait, the graduates graced the stage to be awarded their diplomas in front of their proud parents, family and lecturers. Roars of light-hearted cheers and applause filled the theatre, encouraging the graduates as they each received their much anticipated diplomas.
The spotlight was on graduates with distinguished awards like Muhammad Imran Bin Md Zin, 26, previously from ITE College West, who received the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Award for Mathematics and Science along with his diploma in Industrial and Operations Management with Merit.
It was a proud moment for Imran’s father, Mr Muhammed Zin, 52, who said: “I’m honoured, he’s been putting in a lot of hard work and it finally paid off. I feel like the graduation ceremony was great and it will encourage students to be inspired to do better.”
For 35-year-old Outdoor and Adventure Learning with Merit graduate and father of three, Francis Miranda, he deems his RP experience as “fruitful”: “The three years here have been unforgettable, there’s been a lot of defining moments that shaped my life,’’ he said.
The session ended at South Agora where guests and graduates had something to eat before posing for what seemed like a hundred selfies with friends and family. Excited parents were also seen hugging their newly graduated children.
SHL valedictorian Lloyd Tan Guan Yu, 20, gave some advice for the newly arrived year one students who have just embarked on their journey. He said: “It’s a new chapter in your life, whatever you did in the past doesn’t matter, it’s what you do now that defines you.”
