The Tembusu (Fagraea fragrans) is a large evergreen tree in the family Gentianaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia. Its trunk is dark brown, with deeply fissured bark, looking somewhat like a bittergourd. It grows in an irregular shape from 10 to 25m high. Its leaves are light green and oval in shape. Its yellowish flowers have a distinct fragrance and the fruits of the tree are bitter tasting red berries, which are eaten by birds and fruit bats. Source: Tembusu, Wikipedia

Ms Vannessa Toh

Resident Assistant

Tembusu College
National University of Singapore

vannessatoh@u.nus.edu

Vannessa is a third-year Physics student with a second major in Data Science & Analytics. Through her course, she’s hoping to unravel the inner workings of this strange, confusing universe but it has, frankly, only made her more confused.

Tembusu has been a formative part of her university journey. As the former tClimb captain, Vannessa is passionate about rock climbing (despite always getting injured from it). During her term, she initiated bouldering’s debut in the Tembusu House Games (THG) with her co-captains and hosted tClimb’s first-ever Ladies Night event. She is excited to make climbing more accessible to Tembusu and beyond! 

Beyond climbing, Vannessa spends her free time sketching, perusing art online, and indulging in various graphic novels, cartoons, animes, and indie games. She is deeply fascinated by animation and visual storytelling—if she wasn’t pursuing Physics, she would have given animation school a shot.

Vannessa hopes to build a welcoming and inclusive space for all Tembusians. Her door’s often left open when she’s chilling in her room so feel free to pop by and say hi! And if you ever need a comic or cartoon recommendation, or perhaps an (overly) enthusiastic introduction to climbing, she’s got your back!