Family Ties at St Catherine's College

St Catherine’s has been home to many generations of incredible young people, which makes it so special when the children of our alumni come to the College for their own university experience. Alumna Tan Hui Ping recently revisited St Catherine’s as her daughter Aimee moved in to our UWA campus earlier this year. We sat down with Tan Hui to ask her a few questions.

L-R: Aimee Chan and Tan-Hui Ping on Move-In Day 2022

Where did you live before coming to St Catherine’s College?

I was living with a family friend while I completed Year 12 in Perth before coming to St Catherine’s College. Prior to that I was living and studying in Singapore.

What is your favourite memory from living at St Catherine’s?

It’s tough to choose, as I have so many. One of my favourites is the supper cookout at Upper Whitefield. The joy, laughter and tears we shared of our experiences deepened our friendships. The life experiences we learn from each other have also helped me deal with the challenges that came my way when I entered the workforce after graduation.

I also fondly remember Formal Dinner nights! The guest speakers were always so thoughtfully selected and inspiring. One defining takeaway that I carry to this day is the importance of embracing not only diversity, but, more importantly, inclusion. Especially respecting people who are different as well as the indigenous community. This exposure in my early adulthood gave me a head start when I entered the workforce, especially when I was interviewing for job opportunities. The simple mindfulness of embracing and accepting people who are different and diverse opened up many opportunities for myself in the workforce when I returned to Singapore.

How has St Catherine’s remained a part of your life?

Words can’t express how happy and grateful I was when my daughter Aimee was accepted into St Catherine’s this year. The experiences now may be different, but the College culture has not changed. I know that Aimee will find her own experiences living at St Cat’s and those experiences will help her excel in life. I have also kept in constant contact with a fellow St Catherine’s sister. She is now living in Los Angeles. Whenever we catch up in person (pre-Covid) or over WhatsApp exchanges ever since the pandemic, we still laugh over the silly things that we did. Memories like PJ parties in each other rooms or the common area, and getting told off by our floor tutor for being too loud.