On 15 February 2019, The Mentoring Circle collaborated with Singapore Management University’s Alumni Mentoring Program, under Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) to create SMU’s largest ever mentoring event – The Odyssey 2019.
Conceptualized with the aim of igniting a spirit of mentorship within the SMU community, The Odyssey 2019 took a creative and informal approach to networking by providing a platform to facilitate the strong engagement between our Alumni members from SMU Office of Alumni Relations and student population – for a journey of a lifetime.
It has been beyond incredible to witness TMC’s transformation from a small event which started off merely as a casual coffee chat session, to a club today which hosts events that comprise over 400 attendees and are graced by distinguished industry figures, including our Guest-of-Honour, Mr Ho Kwon Ping.
Xin Hao started off his speech by extending his gratitude and congratulations to the team, led by two Founding Chairmen, Deborah and Chester, who conceptualized everything from scratch 6 months ago. He went on to emphasize the importance of Alumni as practical role models for current students and urged them to continue to think of ways to give back to our alma mater.
Education in school gives us valuable skills for the future. But what is often lacking is the education of the heart – a gap which TMC can essentially fill. This includes developing and inculcating good values in our students such as empathy, kindness, compassion! But on top of all these, we must be willing to give, lift others, and make a very positive difference in the lives of others. After all, we find ourselves when we lose ourselves in the service of others.
Mr Tan Xin Hao, President of The Mentoring Circle
Xin Hao also announced the successful launch of TMC’s very own Alumni fund – a joint effort by 4 of our founding alumni members, all of whom have been very supportive since the very beginning – Zhengxiang, Masa, Benjamin and Hafiz. The Alumni fund, which is currently growing, will be utilized to support Odyssey 2020 and beyond, while also kick-starting meaningful mentoring initiatives within the club – such as mentoring awards, bursaries, scholarships, or mentoring-related research projects.
Current TMC Executive Committee member and Incoming President, Daryl Gan, embarked on one such project over the last few months; to uncover the current state of mentoring in SMU and to discover how TMC can play the role in bridging this gap between the current state and the future of mentoring which we envision for ourselves. Xin Hao broke down the entire report into three key stages.
“We first identified two essential enablers for a successful mentoring program – Intrinsic Motivation and Intentional Mentoring. We strongly believe that mentoring should be fueled by intrinsic motivation to give back, with a genuine desire to help others. Without this real intention, it would be extremely difficult for any mentoring program to take off and succeed, much less for any mentoring culture to take root.
Moving forward, we conducted a survey with over 20 clubs in SMU and discovered that less than 50% of the clubs provide a structured mentoring program with alumni and corporates being widely involved. TMC stood out in terms of the sophistication of our mentor-mentee matching process, and our focus on building a strong culture to achieve a holistic mentoring experience.
Finally, we laid down our vision for the Future of Mentoring as an essential movement where mentoring becomes second nature to any organization, be it our educational institutions or the corporate world, where deliberate structures are present to help seniors become mentors for their juniors. However, before we can attain that goal, clubs should all come together for an open collaboration to share best practices and to create an intentional holistic mentoring program which focuses not only on students’ academics or career, but also their personal development.”
In the presence of over 150 Alumni and 300 students, SMU Chairman and Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts Mr Ho Kwon Ping further commended the club for reflecting and upholding the true values of the university; in particular, service to the community.
Mr Ho used to associate being a mentor with being a retiree, something that you become after you are finished with your career. However, when Mr Ho actually found out about what TMC was doing, he was absolutely floored.
TMC’s idea of peer-to-peer mentorship where juniors and seniors mentor freshmen and sophomores has completely thrown out the concept of mentorship as it is no longer solely about coaching or teaching, but that of sharing experiences in a structured, yet holistic manner through the various mechanisms the club has developed. These mechanisms act as enablers which both support and improve the quality of the mentor mentee relationship, thus improving the overall experience of both mentee and mentor.
Mr Ho further remarked that there were two major things that were important to what TMC is doing. The first of which was that TMC has completely redefined the concept of mentoring, with the second being how TMC reflects the true values of SMU.
The core value of SMU has always been values like service to the community. SMU takes issues of societal impact by making meaningful and impactful change in the community we live in. We do not just compete as we do, but we compete, and be collegial at the same time!
Mr Ho Kwon Ping, SMU Chairman of Board of Trustees
Mr Ho also shared that TMC embodies the core values of SMU and above anything else, is a community of people who share common dreams, aspirations, experiences and ups and downs. “A university is unique in the world as it is not just an organization but a community of people. People who leave a company do not become alumni, they just become ex-employees. But when people leave the university, they become alumni which is a larger community here to serve. In essence, student clubs in SMU like that of TMC, continue to enhance the true values of SMU.”
I won’t say I have a critique but more of a word of caution and that is really the danger of hubris. And to take it to another level, academic research has shown that 75% of companies that have failed in the world is due to hubris. Hubris basically means that you think you’ve made it and think you’re better than everyone else.
My caution for undergraduates is to be proud of who you are and what you have become but do not for one minute think it will make all the difference in your career. It will make some difference but there will be setbacks and there will be lots of other people who are hungrier and more competitive than you are. We want you to go out there and tell people how great you are but never for one minute believe that you are better than anyone else because once you do, it is the beginning of the end. Always remain humble and always remain hungry!
Mr Ho Kwon Ping’s valuable advice for SMU undergraduates today
The Odyssey 2019 brought a fresh concept to our typical networking events with the introduction of 2 sessions of Beanbag chats conducted by 8 VIP Alumni Speakers (4 Speakers in each session).
Each session lasted for about 30 minutes, including an allocated segment for a Q&A with the designated speaker. While traditional networking mechanisms allow one to interact with multiple individuals in a single evening, the Organizing Commitee believed that an intimate sharing and discussion would reap better results in terms of engagement levels and overall impact for the individual.
TMC would also like to take time to appreciate all of our eight VIP Alumni Speakers – all of whom took precious time off to attend our event and share their experiences with a crowd of 25 students individually.
- Ms Lim Kexin, Class of 2005, PwC Singapore
- Ms Ho Shyn Yee, Class of 2004, Expedia
- Mr Ong Shun Wei, Class of 2009, Credit Suisse Asset Management
- Mr Leonard Lim, Class of 2004, UBS AG
- Mr Josh Lee, Class of 2015, Ministry of Law
- Dr Ashley Liew, Class of 2012, Family Health Chiropractic Clinic
- Ms Tengku Suzana, Class of 2013, Have Halal Will Travel
- Mr Vincent Ha, Class of 2009, GushCloud
Dr Ashley Liew 
Ms Ho Shyn Yee 
Ms Tengku Suzana 
Ms Lim Kexin 
Mr Josh Lee 
Mr Ong Shun Wei 
Mr Leonard Lim 
Mr Vincent Ha
Heartfelt appreciation to SMU Office of Alumni Relations as well for their unwavering support yet again for Odyssey 2019! Let us continue to work hand in hand in advancing the future of mentoring within the university and beyond. This is only the beginning!
Participants’ reflections:
As a speaker, i was also very impressed with the information pack sent to me before the event, with the professionalism of Chloe, and the actual-day assistance with Ji Wei. Hence, it was definitely a great experience for me!
Mr Ong Shun Wei, Class of 2009, VIP Alumni Speaker
Odyssey 2019 was an amazing and professional event that I was humbled to be a part of. I loved that different industries were included, even that of healthcare. Just as I was inspired by many people during my time in SMU, I had hoped to do the same at Odyssey. After all, the developer of chiropractic Dr. B.J. Palmer once said, “You never know how far reaching something you think, say, or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow.”
Dr Ashley Liew, Class of 2012, VIP Alumni Speaker
Odyssey 2019 was one of those nights where I feel so proud to be part of the SMU family. Painstakingly organised by TMC’s dedicated team for the SMU community, Odyssey saw a record turnout, quality interactions and much laughter as alumni, faculty and students alike connected over beanbags, food and drinks. You could tell that so much heart went into excellent organisation of the event, down to every little detail. It was a humbling experience for me to support such a meaningful initiative. Very much looking forward to the next edition!”
Ms Lim Kexin, Class of 2005, VIP Alumni Speaker
Odyssey 2019 has redefined networking events and has set the stage and tone for what The Mentoring Circle is capable of. I would like to praise the team for creating the most optimum environment for conversations to begin and relationships to be nurtured. Everybody who attended Odyssey is there because they want to take ownership and map the path for their future endeavours by surrounding themselves with positive relationships. I really hope to see this culture grow beyond TMC and groom the future generations to come.
Mr Kee Cheng Heng, Co-Founder, HelloHolo – Platinum Sponsor
The room was bursting with energy; it’s refreshing to see highly enthusiastic students navigate the room confidently, seeking to validate and deepen their understanding of industries, ways of working and defining what impact they can make. TMC has set the right tone; networking with underlying mentorship leads to jobs no longer being the focal need. It’s redirected it to learning & growth, and the biggest measure is how alumni are willing to stay late to support.
Moreover, the venue and size of the event was spectacular. Response is insane. Execution was very smooth – real kudos to the organising committee
Mr Anchit Kher, Class of 2018, School of Business
I had a great time at Odyssey 2019, not only getting to meet alumni but reconnecting with friends from all over the school.
Mr Dennis Paul, Year 2 School of Accountancy
Organizing such a large scale event with hundreds of participants is definitely a tedious and complex process but the organizing committee definitely did a great job in ensuring everything went smoothly. The event’s structure helped facilitate conversation for everyone and across different industries, allowing people to know where to go if they are interested to find out more about a particular field.
I’m so impressed with Odyssey 2019; my first ever Mentoring Circle event and it was fantastic. The networking with my fellow alumni, staff of SMU and most importantly the students. I’m assured that the SMU legacy are in the right hands.
Mr Ivan Chang, Class of 2014, School of Business and Information Systems
I really liked the idea of having alumni come back to share with current students, since this allows for very open and transparent dialogue, where the current undergrads can get answers that they may not have access to in the usual company networking sessions. Honestly, I enjoyed the conversations had, where I felt genuine curiosity to learn instead of superficial banter and people being too concerned about how smart they sound.
Mr Joel Ang, Class of 2017, School of Business and Accountancy
It is heartening to see younger folks (Year 1 and even Year 0!) participating in the event. When I was at school as few years back, networking events were less organized, sometimes exclusive and often intimidating. Sessions are often filled with Year 3 and 4 undergraduates who already know what they want to do; some are perhaps there to catch the attention of the recruiters. So kudos to the team at TMC for building a much more welcoming platform!
Mr Melvin Lim, Class of 2016, School of Business
The Odyssey has provided a unique take on networking events by getting together a group of like-minded alumni across various industries all in one setting, with the intention to give back. The shared SMU experience that the alumni have with us creates a more personal connection which then deepened the quality of interaction.
Mr Chua Jun Qiu, Year 3 School of Business
It’s been 2 years and yet I never really felt that I have graduated. I’m very glad that The Mentoring Circle (TMC) took the initiative to establish and maintain strong bonds with students and alumni via mentorship. It’s through their events that I had the opportunity to still feel the connection with my alma mater. These student-led initiatives reflect the SMU spirit — it’s what makes us different; it’s also the essence that made my university life memorable. I really enjoyed The Odyssey 2019 and look forward to more of these in the future. Kudos!
My Jimmy Soh, Class of 2017, School of Information Systems
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