My interest in international affairs and diplomacy began in elementary school, around the time my family moved to our fifth country. However, 2009 was a turning point when I took action on these interests. That autumn, I walked into an intro to Model United Nations briefing in H301, unaware of the journey ahead. I left that briefing, led by Mr. Mabie and Ms. Clark, with a hard copy of the United Nations (UN) Charter. After studying the UN Charter, which outlines the foundation and promise of the UN, I informed my parents at the dinner table that I would one day join the UN. 

I spent my weekends crafting the "perfect" resolution, reaching out to classmates representing other countries, and preparing hyperbolic country statements for Friday debates. When the bell rang at 3:05 p.m. on Fridays, I would grab a snack and sprint to H301, eager to immerse myself in foreign policy for three hours. I never saw it as work but rather, a natural investment in my journey to the real UN. Model UN didn't just provide me with an early international affairs education; it also forged lifelong friendships within Singapore American School and across various IASAS schools. 

In April this year, I was appointed as a youth leader to represent Singapore at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) Youth Forum at the UN headquarters in New York City. At the UN ECOSOC, we spent the week meeting with youth leaders from other UN Member States, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Uzbekistan. We also had an enlightening conversation with Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Burhan Gafoor, about Singapore's role in the international order and our individual responsibilities within it. 

The UN has always felt like home to me. My career has spanned both the public and private sectors—strategy at EY-Parthenon as well as the Government of Singapore and organizations committed to public impact such as the World Economic Forum and the Asian Development Bank. Much of my career has been spent at the UN headquarters in Bangkok, Geneva, and New York, where I've had the privilege of working with and being mentored by some of the brightest minds. I've participated in intense intergovernmental meetings, grappling with global issues. As a Singaporean deeply immersed in international affairs, it's an indescribable honor to represent my country at the UN. 

I can confidently say that SAS’s various immersion channels for my early interests empowered me to pursue my bold proclamation to join the UN. When I was at the UN ECOSOC, I took immense pride in not only in fortifying Singapore’s links to the international community but also in etching SAS’s footsteps in the halls of the UN. The UN ECOSOC Youth Forum is a crucial platform for young leaders from UN Member States to collaborate and co-design solutions for the world’s 2 billion youths. This year's Forum was particularly significant, given the rapidly approaching deadline for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Forum allows young leaders to share concrete recommendations and ideas to shape the Summit of the Future, which will be held during the UN General Assembly in September. 

Despite the organization’s plethora of challenges, I remain a devoted believer in the UN. In an era of multiplied identity crises and polarization challenging the very tenets of multilateralism, my recent appointment was a reminder of Singapore's importance in global dialogues and my journey as an SAS alumna. Attending SAS often leads to full-circle moments—serendipitous encounters with fellow alumni, emails from former teachers seeking to connect you with current students, and overhearing mentions of SAS at unrelated social gatherings or better yet, airport terminals. 

Every summer during high school, I volunteered at UN Women Singapore to learn about women’s rights in Singapore. I joined community organizations like the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) to meet fellow young Singaporeans. I also joined Caring for Cambodia (CFC), an international non-governmental organization (NGO) born out of the SAS’s community, as a high school volunteer, later becoming the NGO’s UN Youth Representative in New York and Geneva. 

Recently, after more than half my life as a part of the CFC family, I was appointed to CFC’s Board of Directors. Simply put, these activities were more than extracurricular commitments; hey were my earliest leadership guides. Many of these organizations are ones I continue to engage with, and some I now hold leadership positions in. The people I worked with and was mentored by were archetypes of the leader I aspired to be, shaping my understanding of international affairs and the role of organizations like the UN, all while eagerly anticipating our weekly Friday Model UN debates. 

After high school, I pursued my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Washington, DC, and Geneva, both diplomatic hubs central to international policy decision-making. I never forgot the UN Charter I received during MUN or the ways Mr. Mabie and Ms. Clark taught us about the UN's origins and influence. When I joined the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth’s Office, I bought a pocket-sized copy of the UN Charter. I acquired another during my time at the UN’s Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and another recently at the UN ECOSOC. Holding multiple copies of the UN Charter might seem unnecessary, but for me, they are refreshed compasses for the different milestones in my career, reminding me why I do what I do and where it all began.