“To me, no question is a silly one and I will address all questions to the best of my ability.  I appreciate students posing questions to make the learning environment an engaged, open and non-judgemental one.”  She is especially heartened when students share their positive feedback on the lively classroom discussions which spurs their interest in the subjects and applicability to their daily lives – such as accounting. 

Ella also encourages her students to get involved in community projects because she wanted them to think beyond themselves. “To be able to contribute to the society helps the students to develop a sense of purpose, and this would eventually help them to be a better person.” To this end, she mobilised her students to collaborate with SunLove Seniors Activity Centre (Marsiling) where they would organise monthly visits to interact and befriend the elderly staying in one-room flats. This project is now run by students from the Diploma in Business.

After receiving her award from President Halimah Yacob at a ceremony at the Istana, Ella and Janaki Shah, a lecturer from RP’s School of Applied Science (PAT finalist for 2019) were both given a grant to go on a study trip as part of their professional development.

We can be sure that they will both be bringing back wonderful learning insights on their return, to make class discussions even more vibrant and lively!