Academy of Future Education Holds Alumni Council Transition and Community Development Forum

On 13 December 2025, AoFE hosted the Alumni Council Transition Ceremony and Alumni Community Development Forum. The event brought together faculty members, newly appointed alumni council members, programme pathway leads and alumni representatives. It marked an important milestone in the Academy’s alumni engagement and the launch of a new phase for its Student Career and Alumni Community.

The event opened with remarks by Dr Rong Yan, Associate Professor at the Academy and Chair of the Alumni Community. Reflecting on the development of the alumni network, he emphasised the goal of building a diverse, collaborative and sustainable ecosystem, enabling stronger two-way engagement between the Academy and its alumni.

Dr Yan also highlighted the resources available to alumni, including lifelong learning opportunities, exclusive professional development programmes and career support, demonstrating the Academy’s commitment to empowering long-term alumni development.

During the ceremony, the new Alumni Council was formally appointed:

• Shuqing Zhang – Student Chair (Head of International Division, Xinghai Experimental High School, Suzhou Industrial Park)

• Wenjia Tang – Student Vice Chair (Academic Assistant, Suzhou Singapore International School)

• Weiyu Zhao – Secretary-General (Psychology Teacher, Wujiang School Affiliated to Soochow University)

• Ziyu Wang – Deputy Secretary-General (Full-time Mental Health Teacher, Changshu Experimental Middle School)

In her speech, Shuqing Zhang reflected on her experience in international education and described the alumni community’s mission as reconnecting relationships, empowering growth and giving back to the University. She expressed her commitment to building platforms for resource sharing and career development.

Wenjia Tang, Student Vice Chair, emphasised the importance of creating a community that is both supportive and meaningful, and proposed initiatives such as workshops, thematic salons and cross-school collaboration to strengthen alumni engagement.

The event also paid tribute to the previous Alumni Council, represented by Cheng Cui, in recognition of their contributions. Cui shared the journey of growing the alumni community from a small network into its current scale and reflected on lessons learned in event organisation and alumni engagement. Their efforts have laid a strong foundation for future development.

Co-Creating the Future: Collective Insights and Ideas

A key highlight of the event was the group discussion session, facilitated by Professor Aizuddin Anuar. Alumni and faculty members were organised into mixed groups to conduct a SWOT analysis of the alumni community.

Participants examined strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges, and then focused on brainstorming future initiatives. Ideas ranged from industry expert sharing sessions and regional alumni chapters to academic resource platforms, career experience sharing and social networking events.

Through a prioritisation exercise, participants identified the most feasible and impactful initiatives, forming a clear action plan for the coming year.

With the new Alumni Council now in place, the Academy aims to continue strengthening connections between the University, students, alumni and industry. Guided by the principle of mutual benefit and shared growth, the alumni community will further integrate resources and expand its impact.

The Academy looks forward to working with its alumni network to build a vibrant and forward-looking community—one that supports continuous growth, creates value and contributes to the future of education.

Content provided by AoFE