Our Reflections

Voices

Sports

13 May 2022

Reflection by: Samantha Loh, JH304

Earlier this April, I represented NJC in the B Division Girls Artistic Gymnastics National Schools Games. I took part in the Beam, Vault, Bars and Floor events. I have attained 2 Golds in the Beam and Vault events, 1 Silver for the Bars event and 1 Bronze in the Floor event. With these achievements, I have been placed National Champion in the B Division Girls category.

In the past two to three years, I have struggled a lot with constant injuries as well as having to maintain the right balance between my school work and the long training hours. My deepest appreciation goes to my family, school friends and gymnastics friends who made sure I paced myself and gave me the support I needed. This NSG has been meaningful to me as it was my first time representing NJC. Moving forward, I hope to learn from this experience and perform better in the future!

Sports – Canoeing

22 April 2022

Reflection by: Soh Zhi Rong, 21SH17

Good morning college, I am Zhi Rong, the A Division Girls Captain of the Canoeing and Dragon Boat Team.

“I am proud to say that both the A Division boys and girls have managed to clinch National 2nd.

Throughout this journey to our first nationals in 2 years, it felt like the odds were constantly stacked against us. Due to covid, we could not train at MacRitchie, and had to take a 2 week break when we took our vaccination shots. Also, we lacked the manpower to form a full team. However, we kept our heads and hopes up high. Despite knowing that we were up against strong opponents this year, we still put in our blood, sweat and tears to even the odds, not for medals or trophies, but for our coaches, teachers, seniors and even friends who have been quietly supporting us since the very beginning. I am proud to say that both the A Division boys and girls have managed to clinch 2nd place overall.

Our team has this saying “last set best set that’s the mindset”. We may not have achieved what we wanted, but what’s most important is that after every race, we left the water with no regrets as we knew that that was our best set and our best effort.

I came into this team 6 years ago expecting to just train hard and win medals. As my journey ends, I’m glad to say I will leave with more than just medals – I leave with unforgettable memories and a second family
as well. As our Teachers always say “it takes a village to raise a child”, these children would like to thank their village for supporting us every step of the way. 
A huge thank you to our teachers, Mr Nicholas Tan, Mr Terence Yap, Miss Tan Joe-sie, Miss Ethel, Miss Lim Wei Li, Mr Deon Chen, Mr Jeffrey Tan, and Mr Jeremy Yeo as well as coach Nanfeng and coach Rouvin and you, the school community who have always supported us.

Every Drop of Blood. HEART AND Soul. Go the distance.

Reflection by: Jaelyn Loy, JH406
I am pleased to announce the overall team results for our JH team at the National Schools Canoeing Championships. Our C and B boys came in national 5th and 4th respectively while our B and C Girls both emerged national champions.

This was our first National School Games in 3 years. Our team trained hard for it. The trainings would have been insurmountable if not for my team mates paddling beside me. Though most regard Canoeing as a solo sport, it has always been my teammates who motivated me, as I raced to the finish line where they would be there waiting. The strong support system in our team helped us grow as individuals, be it physical, mental or emotional aspects. We have definitely forged deeper bonds. Our achievements were only possible thanks to the backbone of NJCanoeing – our teachers and coaches. Not forgetting the PE department that put great care into planning and running the event as smoothly as possible. On behalf of the team, I would also like to thank our academic teachers for being very understanding about the NSG season.

Heart and soul, Go the distance.

Sports – Climbing

1 April 2022

Reflection by: Lee Hong Jia, 21SH18 (2nd Position; 18 & under, male category)

Having it been almost 2 years without being able to compete in a climbing competition, the experience competing at Lighthouse Sparks competition was truly a refreshing one. I was very excited to have been able to have this opportunity to compete and as a team. For me, the presence of having my  teammates impacts the mood of the competition significantly.  In spite of climbing being an individual sport, it really feels like a team sport when you compete with your team. It was also an extremely good learning experience for us all as we got to try different styles of boulder routes as compared to those in our climbing gym. All in all, with the pandemic disrupting the climbing competition scene significantly, this boulder competition was a great opportunity for my teammates and I to be able to compete and have fun together. This would not have been possible without the help our teachers and coach!

Reflection by: Sunthar Harikaran, 21SH20 (4th Position; 18 & under male category)

This was my first ever climbing competition and I had a lot of fun participating. Although difficult, I am glad that I had the opportunity to participate in such a competition. It helped me gauge where I am at in my climbing journey and what I have to do to get where I want to be. I need to climb on my own more often and constantly push myself to do better. I want to improve myself further so that I do not become dependent on using only my height to climb. I want to thank the teachers for allowing us to participate in this competition. It was a fruitful experience. I look forward to competing again.

Performing Arts – Guzheng

25th January 2022
Reflection by: Dong Jiayi, JH404 
Hello everyone, I am Jiayi. On behalf of JHGZ, we are really happy to say that we clinched the Gold Award in the Nanyang International Music Competition 2021! Throughout this journey, we gained invaluable experience, learnt useful skills which only deepened our passion in Guzheng. We also learnt more about ourselves, how to receive and give constructive feedback and most of all improve our skills together!

Reflection by: Ang Zhi Yi Zelia, 21SH15 
Hello everyone, I am Zelia. On behalf of SHGZ, we appreciate the guidance and support received which culminated in a great performance! We feel a sense of accomplishment and are grateful for the new skills gained by experiencing new things out of our comfort zone. Although we faced challenges during this journey, we overcame it together. This competition has been one memorable journey together, bonding us even more! If given the opportunity, we definitely would participate in it again! Thank you!
View our Facebook page for more photo updates

Sports – Basketball

25th September 2019

We at NJC Basketball express our gratitude to all who have supported us in our competitions, helping us grow in our journey and instilling the College values in us throughout our 6 years here.

Reflection by : Ethan Tay Fu Wen, 18SH22
My most valuable takeaway from this journey was the power of passion. Passion determines the amount of effort you are willing to put into anything you do. It pushed me to strive for excellence in both basketball and my studies, and helped my teammates and I to pull through mentally challenging training sessions that we thought we would never make it out alive. Most importantly, it is the core of our CCA, what binds us together to make us one big family.

Reflection by : Dong Ke Wen, 18SH20
Over the last 6 years , i have been given countless opportunities to step out of my comfort zone, to challenge myself and to push beyond my limits. Not all has always been smooth sailing. With the support of my friends, my teachers, my coaches and my team, I learnt how to get back onto my feet every time I fall, how to bounce back stronger than ever. In the last 6 years here I have learnt what it means to be resilient which is why I believe in the last 6 years I have learnt what it means to be a true NJcian.

Reflection by : Shao Ning Shannon, 18SH17
To me, playing a team sport requires trust. Trust in each other, trust in our coaches, and trust in the system. We all walked into this CCA, without knowing what to expect. But we walked out of it, with no regrets. It is about trusting the process, believing that the little details that we paid attention to, would make a difference, and ultimately lead us to our destination. Passion, resilience, trust. This is what NJ Basketball is about.  Thank you everyone who played a part in making this happen. Thank you Mr Ang, Mr Johl, Mr Leong, Mr Tan, for your continuous guidance and support. Service with honour.

Sports – Outdoor Activities Club

7th August 2019

Reflection by : Fong Jun Yee Icarus (National Orienteering Race)

On 13 July 2019, NJC Outdoor Activity Club sent ten representatives to participate in the National Orienteering race held at the Singapore Polytechnic, clinching the top 3 positions in the A Division Female category; in the A Division Female category, coming in third, we have Xiao Jia Xin. In second position, we have Cheryll Toh Yu Xin. Finally in first position, we have Rina Tanida. In the A division Male category, coming in 1st position we have, Fong Jun Yee Icarus.

The days leading up to the competition was dreadful. Our team knew that we didn’t stand a great chance in the competition as we had very few official trainings before the competition day. Despite that, we pushed ourselves to do our best, making the best use of the knowledge imparted to us by our instructors. On the day of the competition, I remember feeling extremely nauseated just before setting off. However, during the competition, after the horn was sounded it felt like a switch had suddenly flicked on inside me and everything fell into place for me. I came in 1st position returning to the finishing line with a perfect score.

I would like to thank our principals, Mr Ang, Mr Johl, Mr Liong, and Mr Tan, for their unwavering support for our CCA, our teachers, Mr Tan, Ms Seetoh, and Ms Png, for giving us the opportunity to take part in this competition and for guiding us during trainings, and our instructors, Eugene and Wilburd, for teaching us all that we needed to clinch this medal. Thank you

Sports – National Schools B Division Boys Dragon Boat Competition

31st July 2019

Reflection by : Jeremy Ang JH402, Vice Captain B Division Boys

The experience of preparing for this competition made me realise the importance of the letter T in our FIGHTERS acromyn, which stands for Teamwork value. Teamwork is not just about everyone paddling in a synchronised motion, but to me it is about like minded people working together, pushing one another towards a common goal.

On behalf of  my team, I ‘d like to thank our principal, Mr Ang, our vice principals, Mr Leong, Mr Johll and Mr Tan for their continued support. Also, our canoeing teachers, Mr Yap, Mr Tan, Ms Tan, Mr Nicholas Tan, Ms Ethel Tan, Ms Ng, Ms Goh, Ms Png and Mr Yeo for always being there for us at every training.  And our friends from the other ccas for taking the time to train with us and their teachers for the support.

H3 Research Presentation at the International Science and Engineering Fair,  Phoenix, Arizona USA

11th July 2019

Reflection by : Tan Yee Lin

In May, I represented Singapore in the International Science and Engineering Fair held in Phoenix, Arizona, where I presented my H3 research work. This event is also the world’s largest pre-college science competition.

Inspired by the wings of cicadas, I discovered that simply by boiling zinc in water, this could create a highly antibacterial surface that could even kill superbugs. This surface could one day be used on      public facilities such as MRT hand railings to reduce the spread of bacterial infections.

I am happy to announce that after a week-long competition with more than 1800 participants across the world, I have achieved the third-place award in the microbiology category.

Five years ago when I first started research in the SPIRE program, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would be an ISEF finalist one day. My research journey in NJC has taught me valuable research skills, but above all, it has transformed me from a shy person who absolutely dreaded  presentations to someone who is confident about sharing my ideas today.

I believe that my work is a testament to the fact that scientific research doesn’t have to be highly complex and abstract in order to be significant. Because sometimes, the simplest things can have the biggest impact impact; and all it takes it for one person / to dare to be unconventional.

I like to thank the school for providing me with the opportunity to participate in research; my  mentor Mr Allan Goh for believing in me more than I ever did in myself, Ms Ang, Ms Lim,  Mr Goh, Mr Johll, Mr Loh, Mr Cezanne, Ms Lee, Dr Lim and the all the research teachers for all the support and encouragement they provided me along the way.

Sports – Canoeing

14th May 2019

Reflection by : Brandon Yeo 18SH23

This year’s season has been taxing, both physically and mentally. I was struggling to find the balance between my studies, my personal life, and my training.  But thankfully, I was not alone. I had the support of the entire team. Teachers who were always there every step of the way. We have 2 amazing coaches who sacrifice so much for us. And of course, the support of our seniors who have come before us.

Although there were situations that made us doubt ourselves, we had put faith in our preparations and focused on racing and doing our best. I learnt that we should always train hard until the end, because nothing is certain until the day of the race.

I joined this team 2 years ago not knowing anything or anybody. but as I leave, I’m glad to say I leave with a family. I would like to extend our greatest gratitude to our teachers – Mr Tan, Mr Yap, Miss Tan, Miss Ethel, Miss Lim, Ms Ng, Miss Goh, and Miss Png, to our coaches Nanfeng and Qingzhou, to the school community who have supported us every step of the way, and to our competitors pushing us beyond our limits.

RoboCup Singapore Open 2019 – National Junior College

3rd May 2019

Reflection by : Chen Xin An 18SH10
In the months leading up to the competition, we put in our full effort into refining the hardware and software of our robot, running countless tests to ensure that it functioned reliably. Needless to say, we met many difficulties and dead ends. By the end of the first day of competition, there were still many unexpected problems which caused us to achieve unsatisfactory outcomes.

What got us through, however, was not only our own perseverance and effort, but also the constant guidance and support of our teachers.  In the end we clinched 2nd place, surpassing teams from schools such as Hwa Chong and Raffles Institution.

We gained valuable experiences by working as a team and we are very grateful for this opportunity. We like to thank our CCA teachers, Mr Lim Kim Hock and Mr Wee Keng Han, and our computing teacher, Dr Daren Ler, for their valuable help. Finally, we would like to thank the college for giving us the opportunity to represent the school.”

NUS Geography Challenge

30th April 2019
Reflection by : Xavier Cheah  JH402

A few months ago, Jessica Ti from JH404, Tracy Nguyen, Liew Yan Chi, and I participated in the NUS Geography Challenge. Jessica and Yan Chi received certificates of participation, Tracy received Silver and I received Gold.

The theme of this year’s Geography Challenge was Singapore: The Journey to a Global City. We first took a test and participated in the group component which led us to the semi finals. For the semi-finals, we applied our geographical skills and concepts in the world around us at stations located at various landmarks around Singapore. Through this, I learnt the importance of teamwork as the various segments required us to put our heads together in order to complete the task at hand. I would like to thank our principal, Mr Ang, and the Geography teachers for giving us this opportunity. In addition, I would like to thank Ms Ethel Tan who patiently guided us, those who voted for our poster, as well as our friends who supported us throughout this journey! Through this challenge, we were able to broaden our horizons in the field of Geography and learn a little bit more about the global city we live in. Thank you!

Intra College Singapore Budget 2019 Quiz

24th April 2019
Reflection by : Lim Her Huey 18SH15

The month-long Post-Singapore Budget Intra College Quiz has recently concluded, with 6 students emerging winners from their respective levels.
For JH1, we have Arden Xie from JH101.
For JH2, Teo Lacey from JH207.
For JH3, John Chan from JH305.
For JH4, Lisa Tan from JH406.
For SH1, Lai Wen Cheng from 19SH07 and
For SH2, myself – Lim Her Huey from 18SH15.

Taking part in this quiz led me to read up more on the Singapore budget 2019 enabling me to understand Singapore issues and challenges at a deeper level. I learnt that in the early years of Singapore’s independence, significant expenditure was allocated to develop the economy. As Singapore progressed towards first world status, a larger part of its budget was allocated and spent on various initiatives to bring benefits to all Singaporeans. Some of these initiatives include the Scale-up SG programme for innovation and growth as well as the Merdeka Generation Package to help seniors stay healthy and active. Singapore can afford these large expenditure due to her discipline in fiscal prudence accumulating healthy budget surpluses over the years.

As individuals, we can also do our part in building a more caring and cohesive society. Simple things like graciousness in our behaviour such as picking up after ourselves, looking after common property and being mindful in our speech when communicating with others can indeed go a long way.

Sports – Climbing

16th April 2019
Reflection by : Wang Junwei 18SH17

For the past month, we have been through a total of three events of different disciplines. While we have done great as a team and clinched a number of trophies, individually, my results weren’t as great; I missed the podium by one placing for the first two events. It was disheartening for me to receive these results for I have been training and pushing myself for the past year with the hope of winning a placing for myself and of course, the CCA. But I did not give up. I did not let the results of the first two events affect me negatively. In fact, I was even more motivated to train hard and prepare for the next and final national school competition. The rest is history. The moral of this is, never ever give up hope. Because the moment you do so, you have already lost the battle. Always believe in yourself as you work hard towards your goal.

Putting competition aside, my biggest takeaway of this one and a half year in Climbing is this family that I have come to treasure. They are the ones who push me to be the best version of myself and without them, training would have been much more dull and lifeless. This may be the end of the season for us but the bonds and memories we have forge here will follow me for my entire life.

Finally, I like to thank our Principal, Mr Ang and Vice Principals, Mr Johll, Mr Leong and Mr Tan for giving us the opportunity to represent the school in these competitions. I would also like to thank our teachers, Ms Gao, Ms Heng, Ms Nee and our coach for their constant support and guidance throughout this journey. It would not have been possible without them. Thank you!

Sports – Hockey

9th April 2019
Reflection by : Lim Her Huey 18SH15

During the March holidays, NJC hockey took part in the A division Hockey 5s tournament organised for Junior Colleges. We are proud to announce that for the first time in NJ Hockey history, we managed to fight our way into the semis and finals. After training hard for many months, our effort finally paid off as we clinched 4th place.

Through this competition, the team has three takeaways to share. To start off, despite the matches being short, they were intense and we needed perseverance to sprint throughout the matches. Hence, strong willpower was important as if we did not perform, our entire team suffered.

We also learnt to respect other teams, whether in defeat or victory. From this, we were able to learn from each other and build our sportsmanship.

Lastly, we realised what family really meant. It was heartwarming to hear our whole CCA cheering for us under the hot sun and this encouraged us to keep pressing on and score as many goals as possible. It showed us that teamwork was not only needed within our small team on the pitch, but in the entire CCA.

Of course, a big thank you to our Principal Mr Ang, Vice Principals Mr Johll, Mr Liong, and Mr Tan for giving us the opportunity to participate in this tournament. We also wish to thank our CCA teachers, Ms Low, Mr Ang and Mr Taran for their unwavering support and guidance every step of the way.