It was an unforgettable evening – filled with laughter and mirth, as old friendships were reignited and new ones were forged. The occasion: The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s first-ever All Class Reunion. Held on October 18 as part of the school’s 10th anniversary celebrations, the event was attended by faculty members and over 200 alumni from around the world – from the neighbouring Philippines to as far as Kazakhstan. Kicking off the celebrations in Marina Bay Sand’s grand Hibiscus Ballroom, the emcees Yang Li (MPP’13), Bernard Oh (MPP’11), and Kirsten Trott (MPA’12) took a page from this year’s Academy Awards presenter Ellen DeGeneres and cosied up for a celebrity-style selfie. They weren’t the only ones to pose for the cameras, naturally. By the end of the night, others had posted similar photos on Instagram with the hashtag #lkysppacr14 – echoing the evening’s glamorous theme: A Night of Rising Stars – Celebrating 10 Years of Lasting Memories. Many of them also took the opportunity to take photographs with the school’s dean, Prof Kishore Mahbubani, who was also the evening’s guest of honour. Looking his usual debonair self in a tailored black suit, the world-renowned public policy expert welcomed the night’s guests with joy – and a little insider joke: “We have a lot of entertainment in store for you, and an eight-course meal in the tradition of our school’s being the LKY School of “Free Food”. In his opening remarks, Prof Mahbubani also noted the strong bond between the school and its alumni. “I am truly heartened by this impressive turnout as we have those that have travelled many miles for this occasion – it shows me that you did build a network that will last you a lifetime during your time at the LKY School,” he said. As the guests tucked into the sumptuous Chinese-style banquet, they were treated to one of the night’s highlights – Singkil, a dance item presented by current and former students of the LKY School from the Philippines, who had earlier claimed the top spot in the LKY School’s Cultural Night. The dance, which has its origins in the Mindanao region of the Philippines, is an interpretation of the Indian epic, the Ramayana, and is often performed by women on festive occasions in the Philippines. Special awards were also presented to various deserving alumni members, including Zhomart Abiyessov (MPM’07) from Kazakhstan, who received the “Most Miles Travelled” award in a game segment for being the one of the alumni members who had travelled the longest distance to attend the event and for spontaneously showing off some of his signature snazzy dance moves he picked up from the 1990s. The MPP class of 2014 – which came up with its own class cheer in just half an hour – was honoured for having the most class unity. As the evening drew to a close, the guests were invited to dance floor – but not before a toast and a nostalgic walk down memory lane. The alumni toast was led by Prof Eduardo Araral (MPP’98) and the three emcees, and a photo montage featuring images from as far back as 1993 – specially created for the occasion – played, drawing laughs and appreciative cheers from the attendees. For Mr HE Prum Sokha (MPM’01), who has served as Cambodia’s Secretary of State in the country’s Ministry of Interior for 20 years, said the class reunion brought back fond memories of school life. He said: “It’s been 13 years (since graduation) and I’ve really benefited from the MPM programme. I’ve learnt many things that I can apply to my job in my country, Cambodia.” He added: “I really enjoy applying what I’ve learnt from the MPM programme in my work. I’m happy to be back.” – cover story written by
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