Spotlight on the WKWSCI Class of 2025 Valedictorian

It was a proud moment for the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) during Convocation as the Class of 2025 gathered to celebrate their achievements. At the heart of the celebrations stood this year’s valedictorian, Wayne Lim (CS'25), a passionate creative who has grown tremendously over his four years at the School.

Reflecting on the honour, he shared, “It was an absolute honour to represent the Class of 2025 as Valedictorian, especially knowing that my batch is full of brilliant and passionate creatives.” Beyond accolades, he takes pride in the personal and creative growth he experienced during his time at WKWSCI. “I’m proud of how much I’ve grown over these four years and truly begun to find my creative voice. I owe it so much to mentors and friends made in this school, who’ve always believed in me more than I do.”

Discovering His Path

His passion for media began in junior college when he joined the Film Society and made his first short film. Although he wasn’t happy with the final result, the filmmaking process was transformative. He recalled how invigorating the energy on the film set was. While he was initially hesitant to commit to film school, he believed WKWSCI’s programme would provide breadth and space to explore the wider media industry.

During his undergraduate years, he explored visual journalism, documentary filmmaking, and communication research. Working on these projects equipped him with skills across different forms of media and helped build his confidence.

One of the most defining experiences came through the Going Overseas for Advanced Reporting (GO-FAR) course, which brought him to Iceland to produce an in-depth story. His documentary, Fading Frequencies, focused on the disappearing sounds of Iceland’s melting glaciers and struck a powerful emotional chord with audiences. The film went on to win Gold in the Multimedia Individual Story category at the 79th College Photographer of the Year competition, organised by the University of Missouri, a prestigious global honour. It also premiered at the Academy Award-accredited Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia in Tokyo, marking a major milestone in his creative journey.

Wayne Lim at the premiere of his documentary Fading Frequencies at the Academy Award-accredited Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia in Tokyo

Mentors and Community Who Made a Difference

He credited the school’s faculty with shaping his creative identity and critical thinking. Many conversations with faculty prompted him to consider how to identify his voice in his work and situate it in the wider media landscape. These discussions pushed him to think more critically about the stories he wants to tell and why they matter.

One mentor who had a profound impact was Mr Samuel He, a lecturer at WKWSCI, who taught him in two classes and supervised his Final Year Project. Mr He pushed students to step outside their comfort zones, assigning challenging projects like shooting the Presidential Election from day one. Sometimes making things sound easier than they were motivated him to try harder and do better. Mr He’s encouragement gave him and his friends the confidence to create SPOILT, an independent zine covering GE2025 through the eyes of first-time voters.

Throughout his journey, he found strength in WKWSCI’s vibrant community. Being a maker or creative is incredibly difficult, requiring vulnerability and often taking a lot out of him. However, the support from mentors who nudged him toward relevant readings and showed faith in him made all the difference.

He also found comfort and camaraderie in his peers. They shared many suppers, all-nighters, and long conversations. While he may not remember everything said, he will always remember the laughter echoing from the benches.

Wayne Lim (second row, second from left) celebrating with his peers at Convocation

 Charting the Future

As he prepares to migrate to Australia, the future is both scary and exciting. Though he has tried many media-related projects, he isn’t rushing to specialise. The breadth of his experiences at WKWSCI solidified his passion for media and creative work without narrowing his interests. He has begun to embrace being a media generalist.

His long-term dream is to enter academia and teaching. For now, he is seeking opportunities in visual journalism and documentary filmmaking.