The University Scholars Programme (USP) held its Homecoming on Saturday, 18 August, in conjunction with the NUS Kent Ridge Alumni Day. We welcomed over 60 USP alumni, across 13 graduated batches. Our first batch of USP alumni from the Class of 2003 celebrated their 15th anniversary, while the Class of 2008 and Class of 2013 celebrated their 10th and 5th anniversary respectively.

Mr Bernard Toh, Director of the NUS Office of Alumni Relations, also graced the event, to chat with our alumni and introduced the new NUS Vision, Mission and Values to them in his welcome message. A/P Kang Hway Chuan, USP Director, urged our alumni to contribute towards planning USP’s 20th anniversary celebrations happening in 2020.

The key highlight of the afternoon were the USP classes for our alumni. A/P Albert Teo’s class on Engaging and Building Communities was oversubscribed, as Prof Teo is a well-known figure to the alumni, having been with USP since its inception. It is his first time conducting the USP class for alumni. Spencer Hsu (Psychology + USP, Class of 2007) shared with us his biggest takeaway – "My USP life is complete, after having finally attended a class taught by Prof Teo – so refreshing, looking at community development through an academic lens. Prof Teo's humble approach to his work also reminds us of the importance of humility in life's never-ending learning journey!"

Dr Leung Wing Sze’s class on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery also had fruitful and engaging discussions. Siti Hazirah (Malay Studies + USP, Class of 2011) shared that, “Being in Dr Leung's class reminded me of the classic conundrum of attending a USP tutorial – you come out of it enriched, but with a massive headache due to having your thoughts stretched beyond their limits! I appreciated having my views challenged, perceptions questioned and assumptions redefined.”

Overall, it was a great afternoon of reconnecting and reminiscence.