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 Yan Aiyan

Resident Assistant

Tembusu College
National University of Singapore

aiyan@u.nus.edu

Aiyan is a second-year Sociology undergraduate student with minors in Psychology and Computer Science. Her driving interest in life lies in exploring the world by learning about other people’s stories. 

Aiyan’s journey at Tembusu has been filled with memorable experiences and meaningful connections. She enjoys playing volleyball and badminton, and often spends her time at IG^2 and Tabletops sessions in Tembusu. Staying in Tembusu has provided her with the opportunity to engage in these activities with her friends every night – a luxury she holds dear.

Tembusu has also given Aiyan the chance to plan house-wide events and interest group sessions, purely for the sake of having fun and bringing people together. Through her involvement in these wholesome events, she discovered her passion for helping people form lasting friendships and to overall, just enjoy their college experience.

This passion is what motivated her to become a residential assistant, hoping to be able to play a more active role in making other residents’ Tembusu experience a fun-filled, happy and memorable one. Therefore, be it late-night academic ventings, or nerd-outs about your interests, Aiyan is always keen to listen and to get to know you better!