Connexscions Volume VIII Issue 02 Jan - WKWSCI Home - Nanyang ...

ALUMNI
ALUMNI
JOHNSON ZHANG
Class of 2009
Audio Engineer and Multimedia
Artist
Was most likely to…
Be at the benches, sleeping
Best known for having a job that is also his hobby. This
entails audio design, music composition and editing, motion
graphics and video editing for corporate videos, multimedia
video productions and television commercials.
When I think of my first day in WKWSCI, I remember the
sound of all the fashion accessories my course mates wore.
Interestingly, the volume of sound decreased exponentially
during the second and third year but peaked again in the
final year.
The module I most enjoyed was the radio practicum
because I’ll never forget the nights I spent in the audio suites
churning out radio capsules.
If I were to be an SCI undergrad all over again, I would still
continue working overnight and sleeping at the benches the
next morning.
The school left an indelible impression on me because I’m
always asked by folks from other faculties if my coursework
involved holding a camera or a boom, or if the girls in SCI
are “chio or not”.
The school prepared me for my current career as I started
helping friends with their work. These opportunities gave
me the stepping stones to attain more knowledge in the
area that I wanted to specialise in, and also allowed me to
hone my skills over the four years. Furthermore, my current
company is the one that I interned for.
I was inspired to pursue the profession as I used to be
doing quite a bit of music composition, and after I got into
WKWSCI, I started to get involved in more sound design
work and video stuff. From there, I found a nice little niche
where I belonged.
NEO
XIAOBIN
Class of 2007
Photojournalist,
The Straits Times
Was most likely to...
Climb into a drain to
take a photograph
Winner of Silver Award for Best in Photojournalism (Feature
Photograph) at the World Association of Newspapers and
News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Asia Media Awards 2011, and
Honorable Mention for Excellence in Feature Photography
at The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) 2011 Awards for
Editorial Excellence”. She now shoots for The Straits Times and
is also part of the team on ST’s visual journalism site “Through
the Lens”.
When I think of my first day in WKWSCI, I remember
Freshmen Orientation Camp—taking bus service 179 into
NTU with my group, Apollo, from the Boon Lay interchange
and a cheer about the school’s blue windows.
The module I most enjoyed was GO-FAR. We went to
Nepal and the overseas reporting module opened my eyes to
photojournalism.
As an undergrad, you would most likely find me either in
Hall 8, where I spent a good four years of my life with a bunch
of good hall mates, or on the SRC field getting bruised playing
softball.
The project that had the most impact on me was a story
titled “Shattered Dreams” that was published in 2010 in The
Straits Times. It was a feature on a family grieving the loss of
their daughter, Li Hong Yan, a young Chinese national who
had drowned accidentally in a Sentosa Cove bungalow. They
had sold their farm in northern China to come to Singapore.
I followed the family back to Dalian where they held a sea
burial before trying to buy back their land with the donations
from anonymous donors. There was a lot of feedback from the
public after the story was published, both good and bad, but
I was glad that we showed the family’s side of the story. I was
especially touched by the donors who came forward to help an
unknown family in need.
(The story won the above awards.)
NG KING
KANG
Class of 1998
Senior
Correspondent,
Lianhe Zaobao
Fukan, and ZbbZ
Editorial Consultant
Was most likely to...
“Siam” class or forget to do homework
Three-time Winner of most Popular TV Theme Song
in the MediaCorp Star Awards. He has written songs for
Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau, William Su, Eric Moo, Na Ying,
Stefanie Sun, Tanya Chua, Fann Wong and Zoe Tay, his
most famous song being Jacky Cheung’s “I waited till
the flowers have withered”. Not one to shy away from
sensitive topics, two of the 18 books he has penned are on
the gay community in Singapore. His most recent book,
“OnBoard@2359”, features Fann Wong’s illustrations as
well as a foreword by former minister George Yeo.
When I think of my first day in WKWSCI, I remember
rushing down from SPH news centre to Jurong, cause I
just finished filing a story and was late for class.
The teacher I will never forget is Dr Mark Hukill because
with such a killer name (“who kill!”), who can forget.
The module I most enjoyed was about the Internet,
because it was still in an infant stage back in 1998 and
we were curious to find out more about this “new
technology”. This also led me to do research on my
thesis which I have published, “The rainbow connection:
the Internet and the Singapore gay community”.
I am a journalist, song writer and author because
I love driving in the fast lane. I love to get the
adrenaline pumping when I pack my day with multiple
deadlines of tasks to complete. That makes me feel that
I live life to the fullest. Though all these projects may
seem different, they are all creative writing in different
formats.
What has kept me in the Chinese media industry for
more than two decades is the travel. I have travelled to
250 cities in nearly 60 countries. Travel is an essential
part of my life. I travel to make myself a better person; it
is a humble reminder that I am not the most important
being on earth.
KUEK JINHUA
Class of 2011
Freelance journalist
Was most likely to...
Be the best informed
about exam deadlines
Best known for initiating “Wee Share PI” in WKWSCI,
where Year 4s returning from Professional Internships
share their work experiences. He currently writes lifestyle
stories for UW (U-Weekly) magazine, where he had
interned as an undergraduate. He also has a weekly
column in My Paper.
When I think of my first day in WKWSCI, I remember
going for a job interview at ACRC. I started school earlier
after National Service by enrolling for a special term course,
and I chanced upon a student assistant position there.
As an undergrad, you would most likely find me in the
ACRC answering user queries by the counter, or helping
with library duties, or at the benches doing work.
I was inspired to pursue journalism because in junior
college, I participated in SCI’s Chinese Media Workshop.
It was a five-day workshop where participants from
various junior colleges picked up news writing and
reporting skills from professors and media professionals.
Throughout the four years in WKWSCI, I had many
opportunities to learn about and experience journalism
through various courses and writing for the Nanyang
Chronicle and sub-editing for The Enquirer. So it was a
natural progression to pursue journalism as a profession.
I chose to freelance because I want to have more control
and flexibility over what I do, with my skill sets and
abilities, while I am still young. Never mind the lack
of staff benefits! The trend of freelancing is on the rise
as on one hand, more workers desire freedom and
flexibility, and on the other hand, companies are turning
to freelancers to cut costs and acquire niche expertise.
WKWSCI inspired me to be the person I am by
encouraging the “be different” streak in me.
I will always remember the school spirit that everyone is
fiercely proud of.
28 CONNEXSCIONS CONNEXSCIONS 29