Story from Storm - experience of finding my path!

Following last time's Alumni Series article, let us introduce more of our alumni to you. Here is Storm E from Class of 2014 presenting his story about "Story from Storm - experience of finding my path“ .

Being our Head Boy for DCSZ at that time, Storm has a lot to share in terms of his leadership experience, advice about transition from Senior School to his university and what he has learnt from school. Leadership, confidence, grab the opportunities and embrace the cultural difference - those are the key words identified from Storm's story. Let us explore his story below. 

​​​​​​Can you introduce yourself and what you are doing now? Where are you located and what is your job?

My name is Storm and I currently live in Toronto, Canada and work as Senior Customer Relationship Manager for a marketing company.

When did you attend DCSZ and can you tell us about your special interests or areas of passion when you studied in DCSZ?

I studied at DCSZ since its founding (2007) until 2014. Being the Head Boy at that time, a particular passion of mine was always leadership and charity opportunities.

Is there anything you want to share with us about your experience in DCSZ, such as something you were really proud of, or really happy with, such as a project or an activity?

I worked together with an amazing Prefect team over the years and am very proud of all the charitable collections and incentives that we were able to spearhead together. Really goes to show what can be achieved as a community at DCSZ.

I worked together with an amazing Prefect team over the years and am very proud of all the charitable collections and incentives that we were able to spearhead together. Really goes to show what can be achieved as a community at DCSZ.

There have been many influences over the years at DCSZ. I think Glory Goh has always been a fantastic influence and support during my time at DCSZ. But also, Duncan Grice is someone who gave me massive confidence and support in shaping who I am today. Lastly, I applaud Victoria Benson who really did everything to help me get through my Maths studies (and somehow make it fun as well). I’m very thankful for their mentorship and guidance. I hope they are all doing well!

Have you gone through any changes or transformation during your time in DCSZ? If so, why? Would you like to share with us about your story?

I think something that really shaped me was a conversation I had with one of the university councilors (Jack Shull) as I started planning for the future. I have always seen myself as a tech enthusiast and saw Computer Science as my path forward. Jack was the one to tell me that really, I’m a people person and that is where I shine. He was 100% right and that lightbulb-moment really pushed me onto the path I’m on now, working directly with people and customer relations.

How did your experience in DCSZ support you or prepare you for the later life stage, such as in the job sector, or when you set up your business.

DCSZ is directly responsible for applying and succeeding during my time at University. By giving me so many leadership opportunities and ‘moments-to-shine’, it gave me incredible confidence to apply to some of the best Universities in the world and lead to me receiving an HBA from the University of Toronto. DCSZ gives you the understanding and experience to work with people from the entire world, embracing cultural differences which is essential in today’s work environment.

Let us talk about transition. Do you have any advice about transition from DCSZ to a university? Are there any advice or suggestions that you want to offer to our fellow students about how to better prepare for the university life?

This sounds cliché but really take advantage of the opportunities you are given. You will be studying and working with some of the brightest minds in the world and you have the amazing opportunity to be there and working among them. 

University is so much more than the classes you take, it’s where you find yourself and really learn who you are. Don’t be so hard on yourself and really enjoy your time there. Always ask help if you need it but also go out of your comfort zone and maybe you’ll discover something about yourself in the process. Meet new people and maybe you’ll meet someone that changes your life completely. I met my now to be wife in my 2nd year of university!

If we invite you to talk about one thing you really miss about DCSZ, what would that be?

Those chocolate croissants were pretty amazing (curious if they are still there)? No but on a serious note, it must be the diverse community (international days, China weeks, sports days etc). Great memories with great people!

What is your next goal in life? What would you like to do to prepare for that?

Personally, the next goal is to get married in 2024 so lots of planning for that and professionally, I look forward to moving into a leadership role soon enough and continue to work together to grow the current company.