The right teacher can make all the difference in the world
20 Aug 2018
Editorial featured SP alumna Kirstin Yip, who is a recipient of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholarship. Kirstin scored six points for her O-Levels but chose to enrol in SP’s Diploma Creative Writing for TV & New Media (DTVM) through the Early Admission Exercise (EAE) as it is the only polytechnic in Singapore to offer a specialised creative writing programme. During her three years in SP, the 20-year-old was involved in a myriad of activities, including representing her course during the Jenesys 2016 exchange programme to Japan. She was also appointed the Secretary General of the S Rajaratnam Endowment-Youth Model Asean Conference. Kirstin credits SP’s senior communications lecturer, Ms Gamar Abdul Aziz, for being there for her especially during the darker times such as her parents’ bitter divorce proceedings. Ms Gamar has been teaching in SP for 10 years and is the recipient of SP’s Excellence in Teaching Award and E-learning Award. She, too, has picked up a nomination for the Excellence in Care & Guidance Award 2018. Before she joined SP as an educator, the 46-year-old spent 14 years in the newsroom, moving from the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, to the Television Corporation of Singapore, and finally to Mediacorp as an editor. Ms Gamar shared that as a teacher, she hopes to enable her students to be better versions of themselves after they meet her.
[The New Paper, online]