ALL FOR RAFFLES

For both Attiya Bte Ashraf Ali (RGS class of 2011) and Amelina Bte Abdul Ghani (RGS class of 2007), the sight of their juniors participating in an alumnae sharing session held at the KS Chee Theatre on 8 March 2019 must represent a vision brought to life and a fulfilment of the former RGS students’ long-held desire to make a contribution to their alma mater. Armed with a full proposal of the ideas they had in mind on how they could give back to the school, the sharing session, which was one of the initiatives proposed, saw various Malay RGS alumnae coming back to share their experiences, and with the help of RGS teacher Mdm Nuraini Bt Abdul Gapor, it came to fruition after months of discussion and preparatory work.

While Amelina, who is currently a doctor, jokingly attributes the existence of the proposal to Attiya’s occupational habits, (“It’s because she’s a researcher so everything must be supported with background information and all that, so I just went along with it”) and that they also “wanted to look like (they) were legit”, it seems that the both of them genuinely spared no efforts to make sure their ideas were in tandem with their juniors’ wants and needs, and that they can benefit from the initiatives.

We speak to both Attiya and Amelina to find out why they feel so strongly about giving back to their alma mater, and also to find out more about their RGS experience.

Portrait of a Rafflesian

RGS alumnae Amelina (left) and Attiya may have graduated batches apart, but their common desire to give back to their alma mater turned them from strangers to friends.

Strangers Turned Friends Amelina (AM): “2016 was the last year of the RGS Malay Society, so at that time, the members had a little concert event to close off the CCA. Both of us went for the event and just so happened, we had a photo taken together with all the other old girls that Cikgu Nuraini had invited as well. We got tagged in that photo on Facebook, and somehow I happened to see Attiya’s post where she was speaking very passionately about RGS and the Malay Society. Prior to that event, we had another one where we broke fast together, and at that time, Cikgu already told us about the impending closure of the Malay Society. I already felt then that we should do something for the school, but I did not know people who would want to do something like this with me. So when I saw Attiya speaking very passionately, I just thought to myself, “This is the girl!” (laughs) We did not know each other at all but I just went ahead and messaged her on Facebook and said, “Hey, we do not know each other, but do you want to do something for the school?”, and she responded with a resounding yes! That is how we got acquainted even though we graduated four batches apart.”

Fondest Memories of their RGS Experience Attiya (AT): “For me, there are two significant things. One would be the Research Studies Programme. Academically speaking, that was something that rooted my passion for research work. I saw the impact the programme had on me when I was in university. Having been trained and exposed to the hands-on experience of research in RGS, it made me a better project member in university, and that really sparked the thought that research is really for me, and that is why I have chosen it as a career path now. Another thing that is significant for me is that I have always felt very strongly about female empowerment in RGS.

Because we were in an all-girls environment, we never really doubted our gender as a factor in all our achievements and leadership positions. I think being gender blind then made me gender blind outside of RGS and beyond. I never really questioned myself as a female, like “oh, would I be able to do this better than a guy” because I know that that is not even going to be a factor.” AM: “When I think back about my time in RGS, it mostly revolves around the people, the things I did in my CCA, house activities and things like that. Those bring back the happiest memories.” AT: “I think it is safe to say that our life-long friends are the people that we met here. We still keep in touch with a lot of our friends from RGS.”

Impact of Their RGS Experience AT: “I think the way it impacted me was in terms of female empowerment. In RGS, you are always taught to explore new things and to create, and that it is okay to make mistakes. I also had very supportive teachers, so for me, RGS was really a period of growth and a safe place for me to discover myself.” AM: “I echo her words about female

empowerment. It is quite a strong part of the RGS girl. I also feel it now that I am working, and because I have friends who are fellow RGS girls, when we talk about this topic, we get what each other is trying to say. I feel that it is a strong part of the RGS experience, and that it made gender a non-issue for us. Even though in the real world, it probably still is, it gives us a certain confidence when we think about doing certain things. I guess RGS was a safe place for trial and error, so it gave us confidence for when we eventually stepped into the real world.”

Attiya (3rd from left) and some of her Perbayu batchmates taking celebratory photos in their university graduation robes.

Amelina (3rd row, right) with her Perbayu (Malay Society) batchmates at the 2016 Malay Drama performance “Prolognya, epilogku”.

Favourite RGS Traditions AM: “School cheers and celebrations at the Amphitheatre are the best!” AT: “I always loved it when we ended with ‘Unite’. I mean it was always the cheer I looked forward to.” AM: “It was really quite a sight. Because only the Year 3s and 4s would get to sit in the Amphitheatre, then the Year 1s and 2s would be up along the classroom corridors. So when you are cheering and you look up, you see everyone else so into the cheering as well, and sometimes, even the teachers too because they are old girls. It feels very heartwarming and it just brings out the RGS spirit, which I really like. Physically, the Amphitheatre is a very iconic place; it just feels very inclusive. Other than that, I personally really like Netball Carnival. It is a very simple game, but is one that unites us all. I thought it was very fun and was something I looked forward to after the exams.” AT: “You know how for every level, there is always something to look forward to. For example, when you are in Year 3, you are finally about to sit on the steps of the Amphitheatre, so you feel like the queen of the school! Then in Year 4, we would have the fashion parade as part of the National Day celebration. So you notice all these milestones unique to the different levels, and for me, witnessing your seniors go through them, then experiencing them yourself, and then seeing your juniors go through them, it is a ‘wow’ moment for me. It is as if you are seeing everyone go through life, and at the end of it all, you look forward to walking down the Amphitheatre with ‘Viva La Vida’ playing in the background for the Farewell & Graduation Assembly. This was always very significant to me.”

Idea of Organising an Alumnae Sharing Session for Malay Students AT: “At the beginning, we did not really know the approach we wanted to take because we did not know what the girls needed. All we

were certain about was that we wanted to give back to RGS. Hence, we decided that we would start with understanding what the girls wanted. That was why we first did a focus group discussion (FGD) back in January as that would be the best way to understand the kind of issues that they often think about. Later in February, we used the information obtained to create a larger-scale survey for the entire Malay language student population so at least we had a more comprehensive view of the issues that were discussed during the FGD. All the information obtained

thus far would be used as guidelines in terms of how we can give back to the school in the future. In the meantime, we decided to do a sharing session because apart from the girls giving us information, we also wanted to give them something back in return. We found that visibility of successful alumnae from the Malay community is not very pronounced. Hence, we thought that having a sharing session featuring Malay alumnae from a wide range of industries would be appropriate – to show the girls how alumnae who shared a

similar RGS experience with them turned out, and to show them that they are not alone in whatever they are going through. Furthermore, because it is a relatively small community, there is an advantage for the girls in being able to personally interact with the alumnae after the sharing session than compared to a school-wide activity.” AM: “Yes, we wanted the girls to be able to connect with the alumnae, to hear from them and to see them in the flesh rather than just having them read from posters on the wall. We wanted to connect the girls with alumnae who are within their reach

and whom they can talk to and learn from their experiences, and maybe even shadow them in their daily lives or something.”

Portrait of a Rafflesian

Amelina (2nd row, extreme left) with her RGSNCC Land batchmates.

Paying It Forward AT: “We feel so strongly about giving back because we received a lot from this community. Personally, my RGS experience played a very big part in my life because I had sisters, not just within my batch, who were crucial to my growth as a person. Having that kind of support from my seniors, and then being able to give that support to my juniors, and seeing that kind of support even beyond the RGS setting, it is very heartwarming. We felt that if there were no structures available for the girls to have this kind of relationships, then they would not be able to forge them. That was also one of the reasons why we wanted to be able to do what we did.” AM: “I think as a CCA, Malay Society provided some structure for the forging of such relationships. Like we would have events and everyone, from the present to former students would make time to gather. Now that it is no longer an official thing, there is no motivation for former students or even students to come together. I guess we wanted to provide a platform for everyone to come together, and hopefully, we will also inspire them to want to do it for themselves.”

Challenges Faced AM: “Trying to coordinate everyone’s time, be it among the alumnae or even with Cikgu Nuraini and the girls, was quite a challenge. Because the session was held during office hours, most of us had to take leave from work. Cikgu Nuraini really played a big part in helping us, especially in roping in the girls.”

Plans in the Pipeline AT: “We have a couple in mind already, but they are all still in the works. So do keep a lookout for them (laughs with a look of suspense)! It is actually a challenge for us to reach out to the younger alumnae because we realise that they do not really use Facebook anymore. But luckily, because when I came back for the previous events, I somehow got a hold of the contact

of at least one person from each batch. Hence, the alternative mode of communication became email, and we would replicate the message that we post on our Facebook group to the email, and we have our contacts pass on the message for us.”

Memories Are Forever! AM: “This Anderson campus is so iconic. I mean it is just very quirky in the way that things are a bit ‘obiang’ (singlish expression for old-fashioned) but they just work, and that is how we remember the school and I am sure all the different places within the campus play a part in our memories of our RGS experience. At the same time, a lot of my memories of RGS are also made with the people – my teachers and friends – so I think that no matter where the physical building of the school is, the girls will definitely go on to form their own memories, just

as we did here. Like I can meet Attiya in her house and we can still talk about all the good times we each had in RGS. In that sense, the physical building is just one aspect of our memories of RGS, but the most important part is still the people.” AT: “For me, the physical building is important; I still feel the warmth of the classrooms and the Malay room (I still remember it is at E102) whenever I come back. The Malay room holds a significant meaning because it was a place where we hung out after school, where we cried, where we aired our grievances and where we went to arrange to go out and so on. I hope these elements would be preserved in the new campus so that the girls can create their own memories there. But at the end of the day, the memories are about what you learnt and about the feelings you feel; it goes beyond the physical space.”

Attiya and her class 307 (2010) after the annual Netball Carnival.