Written by Hannah Cheng (Class of 2027) and Katrina Hu (Class of 2025)

November 3, 2023 IGDVS School Meeting was a special one. Chatter and laughter filled the library as the students entered leisurely. “Hush, the alumni are here on zoom! Everyone, be mindful.” All of a sudden, silence spread through the room. Crystal Liu, Jasmine Liu, and Annabelle Li graced the screen. They introduced themselves and shared their experiences in college and work. Crystal and Jasmine are both chartered accountants; while, Annabel shared about her meaningful studies at Harvard Divinity School as well as environmental advocacy work with the Jane Goodall’s Organization. Students, with full attention, asked many questions about their future and college. 

To our surprise, after two weeks, when we just got back from school, chuckling from the dorm echoed in our ears. Friendliness filled the room as Annabel greeted us: “Hi, girls, how’s life? How do you like the life here? I understand that. We’ve all been through it all!” An alumni from nine years ago, Annabelle shared her life experiences with us. She also taught workshops on study techniques and time management. She also invited us to share our own tools of studying, and planned out smart goals for the future. Annabelle advised: “Communication is a big part of human beings. Your friends shouldn’t all be your classmates.” She also shared, “Time management is the key to success.” Joy and pleasure filled the school. 

Tiffany Liu, an alumni from Taiwan, brought yummy pastries to share with her DVGS sisters. Tiffany has worked as an elementary school teacher and is currently venturing into business and entrepreneurship. It was wonderful learning and playing games with Tiffany. She also knew of our love for food, so she treated her DVGS sisters with Taiwanese pastries.

Cheehee Seng, an alumni who graduated from the boys division in 2019, gave the girls another inspirational talk through Zoom before the semester ended. First, he shared his experience as a student role model in his college and as a content creator with 700k+ followers. Then, he gave the students an important workshop, guiding them to find their purpose in life by using the IKIGAI technique, which considered the following aspects: what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for, and what you are good at. He ended with a friendly Q&A, and the students came away with lots of important lessons learned.

We hope more alumni will visit soon!