Caught On Campus: Gratitude Goes Beyond Facebook Confession

By Nicole Lim; Photographs by Chua Khi Pin

The NTU Confessions page may have caused much controversy, but it has also inspired an act of kindness on campus.

Oh Kailin, a fourth year student of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), read a post on the NTU Confessions page that expressed appreciation to all the janitors working at NTU and had garnered over 2,000 likes.

“There is this auntie at Canteen A who is always cheerful and would clear your plates with a smile,” Kailin said. “For a long time, I’ve wanted to thank her in a special way. When I read that post on Facebook, I decided it was time to take action.”

Together with her classmates Chong Ying Jie and Vincent Chua Tin An, Kailin started collecting donation from her friends and fellow students, while also signing up volunteers through a Facebook Event page.

In just five days, they had managed to raise more than $600, which they then used to purchase and pack 180 goodie bags containing snacks, coffee mixes, instant noodles, cookies, and even hand towels.

On Friday, at 8am sharp, Kailin’s team of 15 volunteers gathered at the tables near Lee Wee Nam Library to prepare for the delivery of the goodie bags. Volunteers started going in pairs to comb the classroom blocks in North Spine, School of Art, Design and Media, Student Services Centre, and the International House to find the janitors who were on their morning rounds.

Upon returning from a round of delivery, Ying Jie and Vincent shared that it was a heart-warming experience to see the janitors’ surprised smiles.

“One of the uncles was really excited and asked me, “Is it your birthday today?” Vincent said.

In 2011, NTU’s Rotaract Club had also organised a tea session, where students got to interact with the janitors and express their appreciation in person. This time round, the trio managed to put together the plan almost spontaneously, all within two weeks.

“I wanted to do something for them since it’s my fourth and last year here in NTU,” shared Kailin.

She hopes that more individuals will step up and take the lead to extend this janitor appreciation project to the whole of NTU, and perhaps even on a more regular basis.