Stories

For most Rafflesians, sustainability consists of occasionally recycling bottles, not taking a plastic straw here and there, and forgoing a plastic bag at NTUC FairPrice. Leadership, perhaps, is telling people what to do and when to get something done.

For Y7 Arman Ibrahim bin Mustaffa (24S05A), it’s more than that. As one of the founders of Project Futurum, a project that raises awareness about environmental sustainability, as well as the Chairperson of the Raffles Photographic Society (RPS), Arman had a lot on his plate. Raffles Press had the opportunity to sit down with Arman just before he collected his A-Levels results, where he reflected on his two years in RI and the lessons he learned, both in and out of the classroom.

Why sustainability?

Speaking to him, Arman’s passion for sustainability is apparent. And this passion has existed since he was young: “I grew up along the East Coast, and went there every weekend with my family,” he recounts. “And one of the issues I took note of from young was sea level rise. Because the coastline was one of my favourite places to be, I always wanted to play a part in protecting it.”

After joining RI, he met similarly passionate batchmates Justin Tan (24S05A) and Jadon Lek (24S06B), with whom he partnered to start Project Futurum from scratch in Y5. “We were playing table tennis in the Amphitheatre [during PE],” he recalls. “It suddenly clicked in our heads, and we decided to do a project that focused on environmental sustainability because no other project really focused on that.”

And focus on it they did. Over the course of two years, Project Futurum raised awareness of and organised activities related to sustainability issues like plastic pollution on beaches, e-waste, and even the beauty industry. What they did wasn’t just for show though, as Arman emphasises. “The beach cleanup is just a one-off thing. What we wanted to do was bring people for an interactive experience,” he explains.

“We bring this group and clean up the beach once, then we do another cleanup at the same beach one month later. And it’s still going to be dirty. What we were trying to do was put the idea in people’s heads that it’s not about throwing away then picking it up, it’s about changing your consumption patterns.”

A Snapshot of service

Besides his rich experiences in sustainability advocacy, Arman also served as the Chairperson of the Raffles Photographic Society (RPS). Over his tenure, he worked to make Project Snapshot, a CCA VIA project that taught members of the public photography skills through collaborating with community clubs, a reality. But why?

As he explains, RPS can largely run individualistically — usually, everyone sits down and the trainer comes in and teaches CCA members about photography. “In a not-ideal manner, I could afford to be quiet and sit by myself,” he quips. “But I don’t want anyone to feel left out, so we tried to bring everyone onboard, get everyone out of their shell.”

It’s evident from talking to him that leadership, for him, is service. In talking about leading his two projects, one theme was recurrent:

“I wanted to develop people.”

This commitment is apparent: he describes wanting to build the confidence of more introverted members of RPS through Project Snapshot, and in Project Futurum where members were more outgoing, focusing on making an impact on the community. Arman also has his own takeaways, naming one of his driving factors as wanting to learn from the people he works with because of their diverse talents across a range of disciplines.

Of course, service is never all sunshine and rainbows — tradeoffs are inevitable. Arman describes, with a touch of jocularity and perhaps some wistfulness, a holiday that was packed with CCA and VIA activities, but that also had a family getaway planned. “I really love my VIAs, it’s like my own baby — so I had to stay home.”

What about Studies?

With so much to do, it seems impossible to strike a balance with academics, especially when Arman also reads Geography at the H3 level. But he makes it sound easy. His advice? “Be consistent.” His time management is simultaneously impressive and simple: Monday is for Economics and Physics lectures, while Tuesday is for Math and Geography. Wednesdays, when Rafflesians usually rush all their lectures at once in view of Gap Day, is actually his spillover-clearing buffer day.

His commitment to H3 Geography is accompanied by a similarly strong sense of passion for the subject. He highlights the syllabus’s focus on resource use and sustainable development. But his love is not limited to the academic side of things. He recalls how he got his friends in H2 Geography onboard Project Futurum, bound by their common interest in and awareness of sustainability matters, given their academic backgrounds.

A time in Raffles well spent

Arman’s evident interest and ability in the academic side of things might make you think he’s more results-oriented. But he fondly recalls a memory when Geography tutor Mr Kamal said, after giving out the results for a test, “Sometimes, even the best of us will fall down. Don’t let it beat you up.”

“That really stuck with me, because it makes me zoom out and reflect on my life. Especially today, later on, I don’t know how I’ll perform [at the A-Levels]. But as Mr Kamal said, we are more than the results.”

Indeed, it’s A-Levels Results Day, with so many implications for the future. We discuss his hopes too, such as his desire to work in the public sector to further sustainability efforts and make a difference. His passion and knowledge are obvious, with our conversation morphing, for a moment, into his opinion on the prospects of global sustainability efforts with recent American political developments and China’s restructuring economy. 

But beyond that, it’s a time to look back at the past, as many of his batchmates have done. In three words, he describes his life in Raffles as “unique, exciting, fulfilling.” Arman recalls the change from his secondary school, Tanjong Katong Secondary School, to Raffles, and integrating into the school community here. “Everyone is brilliant in their own ways,” he says. “Meeting and interacting with so many people, it clarifies my view on how people work together. Everyone here has their own strengths and interests.” He fondly reminisces about the exciting school events and rich school culture, and describes the deep fulfillment from his VIA projects and H3 Geography.

After looking to the future, the past, and everything in between, it’s soon time to look at the now. It’s Results Day, and any Y7 would feel something. “It’s a bit of nervousness but also relief,” he admits, much to us interviewers’ surprise. “After today, I’m moving on to the next stage of life.”

He closes with this, perhaps encapsulating not merely his thoughts about today, but his attitude towards life at large:

“I come here with an open heart and an open mind; whatever will be, will be.”