From 13 to 20 May 2025, the IMU Scholars Committee proudly hosted Educators’ Appreciation Day (EAD) 2025, a week-long celebration dedicated to honouring the incredible contributions of IMU lecturers. This year’s event took a refreshing turn from the past editions by adopting a semi-formal yet engaging tone that blends heart-felt appreciation with student-led games, workshops, and creative expressions of gratitude with crafts. The theme, “Lighting the Way”, symbolised the guidance, warmth, and inspiration that our educators provided to the students.

The week kicked off with interactive booths and pre-event activities that drew participation from students across different programmes. Photos from these booths captured the enthusiasm, laughter, and involvement of students that visited the interactive booths, setting the tone for this meaningful event. Among the highlights was the DIY flower booth, where students crafted handmade flowers from pipe cleaners, a symbolic gesture of warmth and appreciation to be gifted to their lecturers.

In addition to the main booth activities, a series of limited-time activities were held to build excitement and engagement among students and staff. These included a hands-on scented candle workshop where participants could craft and take home their customized scented- candles, as well as a special booth for student to leave words of gratitude for their lecturers.

A special highlight was the collaboration with Mad Alchemy, which offered lecturers exclusive coffee discounts on Teachers’ Day (16 May 2025), a small yet meaningful gesture to brighten their day and show appreciation.

The week concluded with a High Tea Closing Ceremony, held in Dewan Chancellor, adorned with theme-related decorative props.

The event honoured educators in a serene and heartfelt setting while recognising the outstanding contributors with a special award presentation.

A unique touch this year was the inclusion of light-hearted mini games and creative challenges in the closing ceremony, which added an energetic and personal flair to the celebrations, making the atmosphere more approachable and interactive.

The closing ceremony featured captivating student performances as well, creating a joyful and memorable atmosphere to the event with their talents in music and dance.

This year’s award ceremony introduced a new approach, featuring student-nominated, personality-based awards: “The Steady Hand”, “The Trailblazer Educator”, and “The Student Motivator”, which highlights the unique qualities of our beloved educators. The awards were presented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic, Prof Ian Martin Symonds, adding a special touch to the moment. It was a light-hearted yet meaningful way to honour the people behind the lectures, reminding us that it’s often the little things that leave the biggest impact.

Ms Wong Vi Vien, Award Winner of “The Steady Hand”

Grateful for the lovely and amazing students that help organise such a thoughtful event to show appreciation to all the lecturers. Hopefully more lecturers and students will join/can be part in this event in the future. Congrats to the committee for planning a great event!

Prof Chin Beek Yoke, Award Winner of “The Trailblazer Educator”

Loved it, and thank you hard working committee for making this a fun and enjoyable event.

Tan Yen Zhi, Project Leader of Educator’s Appreciation Day 2025

As the project leader of this event, I came to truly understand the power of appreciation, not just as a routine gesture but something deeply meaningful. We received a simple yet kind message from a lecturer unexpectedly during the busiest stage of event preparation. That moment made me realise how impactful our words can be, which motivated me to return the same warm recognition to our lecturers through this event.

Organising Educators’ Appreciation Day 2025 also helped me grow as a leader by developing essential skills in communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and event management, allowing me to understand what it really takes to run an event smoothly.

EAD 2025 was more than just a celebration, it reflected IMU student’s core values: gratitude, empathy, and community spirit. The successful blending of fun and formality, combined with genuine student appreciation, reinforced the importance of strengthening lecturer-student bonds and cultivating a culture of recognition within the university.

Written by Tan Yen Zhi, Biomedical Science student from BM124 cohort.