They tell us the bright spots they found amid the COVID-19 gloom and the good that has come out of it
by Junn Loh / Illustration by Charlie Liu
“With more time for introspection and reflection, I learnt to let go of the trivialities and anxieties of everyday life, focusing on what is truly important – the people that I love and care for. Once we breathe and be still, we can find the wonder in every moment despite the pandemic.”
– Assoc Prof Andy Ho, School of Social Sciences
“As an international student who hasn’t seen my family for a year, I’m feeling homesick. Now I know how precious family time is. I’m blessed to have supportive hall mates who lift my spirits every time I’m despondent, and I’ve learnt to be grateful to everyone around me.”
– Ruth Theresia, Materials Engineering
“The pandemic shone a light on the importance of translational research. As a PhD student in the NTU team that worked on a COVID-19 diagnostic test, I experienced first-hand the positive impact that research can have on the community. Now I also better appreciate the important work of my peers in the scientific community.”
– Wee Soon Keong, Medicine
“Reading about failed businesses, unemployment and the resulting pain and stress made me pause and reflect on my own situation. Being among the fortunate ones still employed, I felt I had to pitch in and help others in whatever small ways I could, so I donated 14 days of my annual leave to NTU’s leave donation scheme in aid of student bursaries.”
– Dr Babu Narayanswamy, Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute
“COVID-19 has taught me that life – despite its ups and downs – is a gift to be treasured. Human relationships and human contact have become more precious. We have to protect our health, individually and collectively, and to realise that our little daily acts can have a really big impact.”
– Assoc Prof Josip Car, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
“There were waves of annoyance and frustration over the circuit breaker restrictions. But I became mindful of my privileged position, knowing that some do not have the luxury of staying or working at home during these challenging times.”
– Nazurah Binte Ahmad Noerman, Sociology
“The pandemic has raised awareness of the issues faced by migrant workers. These workers contribute immensely to Singapore, and we need to care for them, which is what I plan to do through outreach activities by my university club this year.”
– Meenatche Kambadhasan, Public Policy & Global Affairs
“Maintaining friendships became more important than before when we were forced to stay apart. With the ease of technology, my friends and I easily caught up over Zoom.”
– Chalmers Chua, Mechanical Engineering
“I live-streamed my way through an exchange semester and completed a work-from-home internship. So grateful for the big little things in life like technology!”
– Samuel Chan, Public Policy & Global Affairs
“Technology has helped us overcome some of the downsides of COVID-19. For example, connecting with others and grocery shopping have not been disrupted.”
– Prof Mary Chan, School of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering
Here’s a look back at the events in 2020 that defined the #OneNTU community, where we supported one another, did our part to keep everyone on campus safe and healthy, while our researchers worked tirelessly to develop new solutions to tackle COVID-19.
This story was published in the Jan-Mar 2021 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
