SMU Strikes GOLD in the 2020 CASE Circle of Excellence Awards with The Mentoring Circle!
The Mentoring Circle (TMC) by SMU was one of only two gold award recipients in the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence Awards, under the category of Student-Led Engagement Initiatives. This is indeed an amazing feat considering that there were 2,752 entries submitted by 587 member institutions across 28 countries.
A ground-up initiative by students in 2016, TMC focuses on mentoring and networking as a way of helping SMU students develop their professional journey in the early days of their education.
It is the brainchild of SMU alumni, Soon Zhengxiang (BSc (IS) 2017), Hafiz Kasman (BBM 2017), Masahiro Tan (BAcc 2017), and Benjamin Wong (BSc (Econs) 2018). The Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) is proud to have had the opportunity to work with TMC as part of the larger SMU Alumni Mentoring Programme. Check out the details of the award via this link https://bit.ly/2BR01Tt
OAR took the opportunity to discover more about the history of The Mentoring Circle with its founders.
In the months leading to his graduation in 2017, Soon Zhengxiang was not about to take it easy. Together with two other friends, Hafiz Kasman and Masahiro Tan, the trio developed a mentoring programme through a school project known as CoffeeChats. CoffeeChats was borne out of their shared experiences as freshmen who had the fortune of receiving help and advice from seniors. They quickly realised they could channel such acts of kindness given from seniors to junior students through an official platform.
For Masahiro and Hafiz, the inspiration for the mentoring program came when they were both on an exchange programme in Mexico, where they thought about the impact they could make in their last semester back in SMU. Of the myriad of ideas, mentoring stood out. Upon their return to Singapore they signed up for an Entrepreneurship Practicum, and TMC, or its predecessor CoffeeChats was created. Benjamin Wong, a final year student then, took the helm as TMC’s first President, and the rest, as is often said, is history.
Benjamin felt that while they had received strong mentorship from seniors, the mentoring solutions were ineffective. Benjamin envisioned a more cohesive community within SMU that went beyond school; that mentoring should be lifelong. Each iteration of mentors would build on their predecessors and become even better. "The coolest thing about [TMC] is that a new junior can trace his mentor, his mentor's mentor, and so on. Each mentoring circle group can trace their lineage, down to the newest generation,” Benjamin said.
Their early success was phenomenal. The programme started in the first Semester of 2017. There was no marketing collateral and organisational structure then, but by Week 4 of the same semester, an Executive Committee (EXCO) had been established, and the programme saw a pool of 80 students comprising both mentors and mentees. CoffeeChats was soon rebranded to its current iteration, The Mentoring Circle (TMC).
When OAR shared the news of the CASE Gold Award, Zhengxiang was elated. For Masahiro and him, the award serves as a validation of what TMC stood for since its inception, and served as a testament to the successful "giving" culture that TMC embodies through the actions of the students. Through this award, Zhengxiang hopes that more students, beyond SMU, will be inspired to build new mentoring initiatives. Benjamin echoed Zhengxiang’s views, hoping that with more recognition, TMC can be a beacon of mentoring to others who are starting out. Hafiz was also humbled that OAR took pride in their work and submitted TMC for nominations in the first place.
Reflecting on the impact of their SMU education, Zhengxiang recalled how the mandatory community service projects allowed him to foster a deeper sense of empathy towards less privileged communities. The greatest takeaway was starting CoffeeChats, which was proof that an entrepreneurial spirit can be channelled towards helping communities in need. Similarly, Benjamin attributes Professor Massimiliano Landi as a major influence on his growth. “He taught me how to look at everyday things from an economics perspective, and how to use the Cornell note-taking method which changed my life," Benjamin revealed.
As for Masahiro, he felt that SMU had prepared him well for the corporate setting, although his most important lesson was on kindness, a lesson he learnt from Professor Seow Poh Sun. He shared, “Professor Seow was kind enough to have coffee sessions with my younger brother and me.” At that time, Masahiro’s brother was seeking advice as he was considering a career in accounting. This reaffirmed his belief that small acts of sacrifice, kindness, mentorship, and initiative go a long way.
With their strong belief in giving through acts of kindness, each of them continues to be the spark that ignites new cycles of giving and receiving.
