Alumna Profile: Melanie Yap Ann Ann
Qualifications Ontario Grade 11 and South Australian Certificate of Education (Grade 12)
What are you currently doing? Studying for a Bachelor of Dental Surgery at University of Adelaide, Australia
What is your most memorable experience in school? My friends knew that I had next to no musical abilities, but on graduation night, I found out that they signed me up to perform a song on stage as a joke. Everyone expected me to chicken out, but to their surprise, I grabbed all of my friends and made them sing the Spongebob Squarepants ‘FUN’ song with me. It went REALLY badly, but we had fun laughing our way through the entire performance! I was also the winner of the Harvard Prize Book Award (Malaysia) in 2015. It was a proud moment as we had to undergo a stringent process of application and interview.
What were your favourite and least favourite subjects in school, and why? French was hands down my favourite subject because despite it being so foreign, it somehow came naturally to me. It was nice being able to communicate with my friends in a language that most other Malaysians do not understand! I was not a big fan of art though, because I am not very creative nor am I artistic so the subject was pretty challenging at times.
What extracurricular activities did you do? I was an active member of the SIS Model United Nations Club and French Café Club, as well as the President of the SIS Interact Club.
What was the best thing about your school? What important lessons did you learn in your school that have helped you in your life? The motto of SIS is “Nurturing Minds. Building Character”, and it is well deserved. Every single student undergoes a transformation after attending the school; whether they become more outgoing or even more open-minded to the world around them. For me, I learned to be less shy. In my first SIS presentation, I stammered my way through the five-minute presentation, reading off a prepared script from two pages of printed A4 paper. I was so nervous that I felt like throwing up. Four years later, presentations no longer faze me in the slightest and I discovered my love for public speaking – that is the kind of transformations you see in SIS.
Describe your experience in school using three words. Transformative, eye-opening and fun.
What advice would you give to current students of your alma mater? Study hard for tests and hand in your quality assignments on time, but also take the time to join all the clubs, events and activities that interest you and even those that do not – you may start to like them a lot! High school is the best time for you to discover things about yourself and make life-long friends, so do not miss out on such opportunities.