From a "script" to a global stage: IS students find their fit at NUS

For many Interdisciplinary Studies (IS) students, the question “What exactly is your major?” usually requires a well-rehearsed script. But for juniors Samantha Felyn L. Vida and Kristelle Louise V. Magdaluyo, currently at the National University of Singapore (NUS) for the DiscoverNUS Program, that script is finally being retired.

“I have the script down to a tee,” Louise shared, reflecting on her usual introductions. “But studying in Singapore, I found myself explaining it less and less. For some, the concept clicked instantly.”

Louise and Sam are participating in their Junior Term Abroad (JTA) in an environment that Louise describes as having interdisciplinarity "embedded in the academic culture itself." This shift from defending her degree to seeing it celebrated has allowed her to fully grasp the potential of her chosen path.

Sam Vida’s experience has been equally transformative. Immersed in a "melting pot of identities," she has observed the very essence of her IS training in action. She noted the refreshing sight of peers pursuing minors "miles away" from their majors — a common sight in the IS department, but one she was surprised to find championed so far from home.

Whether it is witnessing professors from different fields "nodding toward similar ideas" or engaging in cross-cultural conversations that offer a new pair of eyes, Sam credits her Ateneo training as the toolkit that prepared her for this global stage.

Reflecting on the whirlwind of the past month, Sam finds it surreal that this journey toward personal and academic growth began with a simple choice. “It is often hard to believe,” she remarked, “that this all started from saying yes to an email.”