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IJ PERSONALITY

With 155 years of history, CHIJ has been a household name, and known to any parent who has a daughter to educate. An IJ education grooms students to face life’s challenges by nurturing in them faith in God, a spirit of concern for others, passion for life-long learning and innovative skills. In other words, to become “Women of Distinction”.

In this column “IJ Personality”, we bring you some of the “Women of Distinction” who had had an IJ Education and we invite them to speak through this web page to all of us, who share a common history.

Today we profile Ms Ellen Lee, MP, Sembawang GRC (Woodlands)

QUOTING ELLEN LEE

“I believe that CHIJ is still a prestigious brand name as it has more than 100 years of history”

“Repay to society what it has given to you”

Ellen Lee Geck Hoon, PBM
MP for Sembawang GRC
(Woodlands)

Ellen is married and has 9 grandchildren who are the “Joy of her life “ and she learns much from them as they are “at the most unpretentious stages of their lives.”

ELLEN’S ALMA MATER: Ellen Lee completed her 12 years’ of education with the GCE ‘A’ Level education at CHIJ Victoria Street, and obtained her LLB(Hons) from the National University of Singapore in 1980.

She became a lawyer in 1981. She ran her own law firm for 21 years. In 2005 her law firm merged with M/S Ramdas & Wong and she took on the role of ‘Consultant’ as she anticipated heavier commitments in the political arena. Ellen became a Member of Parliament the following year. Being in the public eye is not new to Ellen however, as she has been an active community and grassroots leader since 1983.

Meanwhile let us hear from Ellen herself in this email interview conducted by The CHIJ Alumni Association.

What CHIJ means to me………

“I was the first of 5 siblings to enter an English Language school. My parents came from China and were Chinese educated. My elder brother and sister were also sent to Chinese Language Schools.

I entered IJ without any background in English and it was a tremendous struggle for me coping to understand the language, to express myself in that language and making sure I pass my exams.

Yet IJ is the best gift that my parents have given to me.”

I will always be thankful to CHIJ for………

“What had helped was that there were friendly nuns, particularly Sister Valentine. She taught “Art and Craft” and also ran the Joyful Vanguard (JV) activity group. Sister Valentine gave me a free hand in running the JV for her, and this shaped my personality. I assumed leadership roles, became more extroverted and grew to love people of all backgrounds.”

“The teachers also provided much nurturing and imparted much moral values.”

To IJ girls, I say..…

“Our school's motto "Simple in virtue, steadfast in duty" is one we can all adopt in life. Be proud of who you are and what you are. Practice simple virtues, be honest in all your dealings, be humble and sincere. Strive for the best and work hard to overcome all adversities.”

Wise words indeed, from our very own “True Blue” Ms Ellen Lee. To read more about Ellen, go to www.pap.org.sg and look under “Women In Parliament”.

Do you have someone that you think we should profile? Email us at contact@chijalumni.org