SOTA student channels grief to excel in IB exams
His grandfather died while he was preparing for his graduation showcase, but the 16-year-old's grief soon turned into inspiration, as he wrote a play for the showcase.
Yesterday, Mr Rian Asrudi Asbulla, 18, a theatre student from the School of the Arts (Sota), collected his International Baccalaureate (IB) result and was one of the top performers in the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC) programme.
Mr Rian opted to enrol in the particular programme - which has three subjects and includes internship, industrial attachment. He intends to go to Lasalle College of the Arts to continue to learn acting there.
Graduates of Sota's IBCC acting programme are specifically trained to work in the arts-related industry.
AMAZING
"When I was 10, I performed a solo and I remember the thunderous applause and it just felt really amazing," Mr Rian said.
"I knew then that I wanted to experience that feeling even more."
He still remembers his showcase play, Guardian. It was about a teenage boy overcoming his emotions after his grandfather's sudden passing.
At times, it was hard for him to balance his feelings and his objectivity as a playwright.
He said: "You have to think of what the stage needs and what is important for the play, instead of what you personally feel."
Mr Rian's experience has reaffirmed his decision to go into theatre.
"The beauty of theatre is that you get to relate to so many people going through different situations," he said.
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