Thrive Together: Inside SMUSA’s Vision with President Jing Xi and Vice-President Amelia Sim

As SMU students navigate an era of rapid change, SMUSA is anchoring its work this year on a simple but ambitious theme: “Thrive Together.” In a joint conversation with The Blue and Gold, SMUSA President Jing Xi and Vice-President Amelia Sim share how they see this theme shaping priorities, initiatives, and leadership on campus.

A Year Defined by “Thrive Together” 

For Jing Xi, “Thrive Together” is SMUSA’s response to a world marked by AI disruption, economic volatility, and geopolitical tensions. In such an environment, he believes it is more important than ever to equip students with the skills and resilience needed to navigate change, whether in terms of employability, sustainability, or technological transformation. Many of these challenges cut across disciplines, which is why he highlights cross-university and cross-disciplinary collaboration as a key focus for the year.  

Amelia complements this with a focus on the relationships that hold the SMU community together. “SMUSA aims to connect with the student body and various stakeholders by building meaningful relationships and networks,” she explains, stressing that trust, empathy, and a sense of belonging are critical if students are to feel comfortable reaching out in times of need. For her, thriving together begins with a student association that is approachable, present, and grounded in the lived experiences of its peers.  

Connecting Students and Strengthening Campus Life 

Beyond the headline theme, both leaders return repeatedly to holistic student development and campus vibrancy. Amelia emphasizes that student life cannot be reduced to grades alone; SMUSA wants to empower individuals by creating accessible and achievable opportunities for students to develop confidence and initiative outside the classroom. That means uplifting everyday experiences, creating a vibrant and welcoming environment, and continually improving initiatives by listening attentively to student feedback.  

From Jing Xi’s perspective, holistic development also means ensuring that students have the support, opportunities, and community they need to truly thrive during their time at SMU. Building on the efforts of previous SMUSA teams, he points to initiatives such as Welfare Drive and SMUSAfiesta, which are designed to support student wellbeing while strengthening campus vibrancy and community spirit. Together, their priorities reflect a student association equally concerned with day-to-day campus life and long-term personal growth.  

From Campus Events to Policy Advocacy 

While many students recognize SMUSA through its large-scale events and welfare initiatives, Jing Xi underscores that the association also carries an important advocacy role. One major effort this year is the Inter-University Network, where student leaders from Singapore’s six autonomous universities come together to discuss shared concerns and co-develop policy proposals for government stakeholders. Through this platform, SMUSA hopes to amplify student voices beyond campus and contribute constructively to the broader higher education landscape in Singapore.  

On campus, programming is a key vehicle for connection when designed with intention. Jing Xi highlights SMUSA’s commitment to fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and community through its events, while Amelia stresses the importance of continually revitalizing the “SMU experience” – ensuring that the campus remains a lively, supportive space where students feel welcomed and seen.  

Making a Tangible Difference: Much Love, SMUSA and SMUSA Santa 

When asked to share initiatives that have made a tangible difference to student life, both leaders point to projects that reimagine welfare as something communal and student driven.  

For Jing Xi, one standout initiative was “Much Love, SMUSA,” a week-long collaboration in October between SMUSA and BIZCOM that combined the BIZCOM Bazaar with SMUSA’s Welfare Drive into a single campus-wide event. The bazaar gave students the opportunity to set up booths and sell products or services, nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit within SMU and creating a bustling atmosphere where students supported one another’s ventures. Behind the scenes, the team had to coordinate multiple stakeholders, manage booth allocations, comply with university regulations, and maintain engagement over an entire week – a complex logistical challenge that demanded meticulous planning and collaboration.  

Amelia shares about “SMUSA Santa,” an initiative introduced during the Welfare Drive to make welfare support more inclusive and community‑oriented. Traditionally, welfare packs were distributed via sign-ups due to limited quantities, which sometimes left out students who needed support but had not registered. As Events Deputy and chair of the initiative, she and her team invited participants to curate care packs for their peers, complete with handwritten notes of encouragement, before walking around campus to distribute them to students studying in common spaces such as the fishtanks, faculty buildings, and Connex. The initiative attracted far more participation than anticipated, straining logistics when supplies ran low and the number of curated packs exceeded expectations, but the team found the effort deeply rewarding as they saw recipients’ smiles and experienced the human warmth behind each note.  

Taken together, these stories reveal a SMUSA that is not only operationally ambitious, but also attentive to the emotional and relational dimensions of student life.  

Hearing Diverse Voices, Making Timely Decisions 

Balancing diverse student voices with efficient decision-making is a recurring theme for both leaders. Jing Xi points to the Students’ Association Council (SAC) as the main platform where different perspectives converge: it comprises the SMUSA Executive Committee alongside the presidents of the seven School Constituent Bodies and four CCA Constituent Bodies. This structure ensures representation from students across faculties and interest groups – from Economics and Law to sports and the performing arts – in key discussions and decisions.  

Beyond formal meetings, SMUSA maintains multiple channels for feedback, including its email, social media platforms, and on-the-ground efforts such as the Grassroots Working Committee within the SAC that gathers sentiments directly from students. Amelia echoes this focus on structure but underscores the importance of keeping processes nimble. Not every decision can involve the entire student body, she notes, yet it remains crucial to understand the main concerns students hold. As SMUSA’s policy-making arm, the SAC reviews major decisions by SMUSA and the Constituent Bodies, while ICON – a standing committee under SMUSA – represents international students to ensure their voices are not neglected. The result is a system that prioritises inclusive listening while still enabling solution‑oriented, timely leadership.  

Pathways into Leadership for Every Student 

If there is one message both leaders are adamant about, it is that student leadership at SMU is open to anyone with the heart to serve, regardless of prior experience. “Prior leadership experience has not and will not be a prerequisite,” Amelia stresses, reflecting SMUSA’s belief in giving students the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones and grow into new roles.  

Jing Xi highlights SMUSA’s Deputy Programme as a key entry point, especially for students seeking a first taste of student leadership while contributing to SMUSA’s work under the guidance of more experienced leaders. Opening typically in December, the programme allows students to support various departments and initiatives, developing leadership, teamwork, and project management skills along the way. For those ready to shoulder greater responsibility, both leaders point to the SMUSA Executive Committee, whose applications open in August each year, offering students the chance to shape association-wide direction, drive initiatives that impact the broader student body, and lead a team of Deputies.  

Leadership opportunities extend beyond office-bearing roles as well. SMUSA regularly opens Organizing Committee positions for major annual events such as Freshmen Orientation (FO) and Vivace, with roles ranging from Directors and Deputy Directors to Associates. Students can also take on front-facing positions such as Facilitators and Game Masters, directly engaging and mentoring incoming freshmen as they transition into university life. Across these pathways, the message from the President and Vice-President is consistent: as long as you have the passion and commitment to serve, there is a place for you in SMUSA.  

Leadership Lessons from the Top 

Serving at the helm of SMUSA has given both leaders a front‑row seat to the realities of student leadership – from high‑level decision‑making to late‑night troubleshooting.  

For Jing Xi, one of the most valuable lessons has been the importance of stakeholder management. His role requires him to regularly work with students, the SMUSA team, university offices, and external partners, each with distinct priorities and perspectives. He has learned that effective leadership often hinges on carefully considering these viewpoints, finding common ground, and ensuring that no single perspective dominates at the expense of others. Adaptability and crisis management have also been central: in a rapidly evolving environment where plans rarely unfold perfectly, he emphasises the need to stay calm, resilient, and flexible, working collaboratively with his team to find solutions when challenges arise.  

Amelia’s reflections similarly revolve around responsibility, teamwork, and comfort with uncertainty. Serving as Vice-President has taught her to carry responsibility not just for her own work, but for outcomes that affect the wider student community, especially when decisions must balance competing needs and expectations. She notes that leadership is rarely an individual effort; instead, it is about working closely with fellow student leaders to overcome challenges together, support one another, and celebrate small wins that keep morale high. The role has also pushed her to become more comfortable with things not going exactly as planned, reinforcing the importance of staying accountable and moving forward even when initiatives are imperfect in execution.  

A Shared Vision for SMU Students 

Taken together, the perspectives of President Jing Xi and Vice-President Amelia Sim reveal a leadership team united by a commitment to help SMU students not just survive university life, but truly thrive. Their priorities stretch from policy advocacy and cross‑university collaboration to relationship‑building, welfare, leadership development, and campus vibrancy – all grounded in the belief that every student should have the support, opportunities, and community they need to grow.  

From “Thrive Together” as a guiding theme, to initiatives like Much Love, SMUSA and SMUSA Santa, to the many pathways for students to step up and serve, their shared vision is of a campus where students lift one another up – and where SMUSA stands as bridge, platform, and partner in that journey.