The word “alumni” is derived from the Latin verb alere, meaning "to nourish". Taken literally, it translates to “those who have been nourished” or "foster children". That is why one may often see it being used in the context of a school, university or any sort of conventional academic program; after all, the students are moulded by the educational institution they attend. It’s not, however, used frequently to denote the former residents of a hostel. For the residents, and indeed the ‘alumni’ of RC4, though, their hostel has played no less a role in shaping them into the dynamic professionals they graduate to become.

On 19 October 2026, RC4 hosted its semesterly alumni sharing event, organised by the External Liaison wing of the CSC. The event featured a diverse selection of nine alumni from vastly different sectors and educational backgrounds, united by the shared community they were, and still are, a part of. Master’s Lounge played host to the section dedicated to the Finance and Banking sector, while the Common Lounge welcomed those interested in Information Technology and Engineering/R&D.

The invited alumni presenters were engaged in a variety of professional and academic pursuits. They included finance professionals at Nomura and Deutsche Bank, data scientists at BCG and Pluang, research scientists, and materials and industrial engineers. Drawn by the prospect of networking with professionals from the sectors of their interest, students poured into the common lounges, even cycling between the two venues!

The talk was structured as a presentation by each alumni speaker, followed by a Question and Answer session. The entire program concluded with an informal networking session, with students and alumni free to converse. To accommodate those who were unable to join in person, the event was broadcast live on Zoom.

Each presentation followed a single broad template: Education, Extracurriculars and Other Engagement, Experience at the RC, Current Engagements, Advice, and most interestingly, A Day in My Life.

Numerous speakers brought up programs or committees they had been part of during their stay at RC4. Some, such as Mr. Dillon Chew, a startup founder and researcher, served as Resident Assistants, and others, such as Mr. Heang Ming Kang, a power systems engineer, joined Inter-College Games teams. Mr. Jishnu Anandh, a software engineer at PSA, brought up his involvement in the STEER Himalayas App— a project conducted by RC4 and Computing for Voluntary Welfare Organisations (CVWO) to understand the ecological, social, political and economic issues of local communities using the tools of systems thinking, and help social service agencies and welfare organisations achieve operational efficiency.

All the journeys underscored a common message: to use university as a means to explore unfamiliar interests and discover professional directions that may not be immediately apparent in the classroom. Some themes permeated across presentations. Two of them stood out: the importance of communication, and the transformative role of AI.

Ms. Cham Li Hui, a 2025 Business Analytics graduate and data scientist at Pluang, a trading app based in Indonesia, kickstarted the conversation on the above-mentioned themes by detailing how AI changed many aspects of her profession, but crucially, did not diminish the weight of communication skills. In fact, in a world where AI matches or even surpasses humans in technical capability, it is the ability to communicate, challenge and interpret data and findings that has gained importance.

Mr. Alvin Leung, a data scientist at Boston Consulting Group, further enunciated this by emphasising the need to comprehensively understand what generative AI produces. He also challenged the assumption that technical skills were redundant, because without them, one simply cannot get solutions “off the ground”, even with AI assistance. Based on these insights, he asserted that there are strong career prospects for individuals capable of solving problems end-to-end rather than merely training models.

After the presentation segment ended, Mr. Max Chua, a composites design engineer at DSO National Laboratories, and Jishnu reminisced about their time at RC4, and talked at length about how it shaped their career journeys and personal growth. When asked about the most important lesson RC4 provided to him, Max replied that it was the skill of time management. “Those years of balancing RC events with academics were probably foundational in my ability to maintain work-life balance now.” Jishnu, meanwhile, recalled a film studies seminar he had attended during his time at RC4. “It seems trivial, but it’s actually been really helpful for me. It helps me see films and other media through a much more analytical lens.” Yet it was the friendships he formed that remained his most treasured takeaway.

“By far, the biggest thing RC4 gave me was the company. That’s invaluable,” he added.

A natural question would be: Why come back? What explains this deep bond with the hostel? Max and Jishnu answered in agreement: it was out of a desire to do something for their juniors. “If I were your age, I think I’d have really liked this sort of an opportunity, to get an idea of what to expect from my working life.”

The sentiment was corroborated by the student attendees. Aarav (distinct from the reporter!), a Year 1 Statistics major who attended the Banking and Financial Sector session, remarked, “As an aspiring Sales and Trading professional, this talk was really helpful for me. It’s helped me gain a new perspective regarding profile building for internships, and college life in general.”

The most meaningful takeaway from the evening was perhaps the enduring sense of belonging shared by the alumni. For the students in attendance, the evening offered a glimpse into the possibilities awaiting them beyond university. For the alumni, it was a reminder of the community that had helped shape their journeys.