James Goh, SIM-UB alumnus, Chief Experience Officer, Halogen (Singapore)
9 July 2024
Resilience, Resourcefulness, and a Sheep’s Brain
It was a bustling Friday afternoon, and Dr. James Goh was deep in conversation with a group of interns when we arrived. As the Chief Experience Officer of Halogen (Singapore), his sincerity was admirable, demonstrating that no voice was too small to be heard and valued.
For someone holding a Chief title, James certainly did not look the part based on first impressions. He is a youth himself, being all of 34 years old. No surprise there, as Halogen (Singapore) is a youth development non-profit.
As we settled in, James excitedly began to recount his journey with SIM, a journey that started in 2011 when he enrolled with SIM-University at Buffalo (UB), one of over 10 top-ranking universities that SIM partners with. Celebrating 20 years of partnership in 2024, SIM's collaboration with UB is one of its longest standing to date.
James’ enthusiasm was evident when he shared how SIM-UB’s unique blend of academic rigour and practical learning profoundly shaped his career and life. The psychology graduate did not fancy the cookie cutter method of learning in his formative years and preferred a liberal and independent approach.
“SIM’s environment was exactly what I needed,” he said. “There was so much emphasis on ownership and initiative over how you learn.” When prompted for examples, James shared that in his biospsychology module, a 3D model that was used to help the class learn about neuroconnectors did not work for him. He then took it upon himself to search for, and import an actual sheep’s brain from the United States, with the support of his bioscience professor, Dr. Scott Wersinger, figuring his way through government regulations independently. The entire process took several months, all in the name of learning.
James delighted in retelling this story to us (and we suspect, observing our reactions). It was clear that the sheep’s brain would always be a lesson on resilience and resourcefulness for everyone he interacts with. Who knew that a sheep’s brain could offer such a mind-altering experience?
Impacting Communities
As we delved into his world of work, it was clear that James brought the values he inculcated at SIM, to impact and influence the people around him. This personal sense of responsibility and purpose – even though James always had a heart for people since he was 15 – deeply impressed us. This was SIM’s social purpose truly exemplified in real life.
“There is a lot of ownership over how you learn. At SIM, I learned that you must ask for things you want – and even if you think it is not possible, try, because you never know.” And it is this very same mantra that James repeats to others.
“Even when I am mentoring young people, I say: be willing to try. It is only never done before because no one ever tried.” The father-of-one has a busy schedule. At Halogen (Singapore), he leads the programme, operations and volunteer management teams, who collectively engages over 15,000 youths and 1,500 volunteers each year. Outside of work, James also serves as a district councillor for the Central District Community Development Council, initiating community projects and offering his expertise. Additionally, he is a member of the Active Mobility Advisory Panel, reviewing and proposing improvements for active mobility in Singapore. He is also a board member of TomoWork, a charity that hopes to bridge employment opportunities for youths with special educational needs.
Keep on learning and be proactive
Apart from his passion for helping people, we would also venture to say that James has a real hunger for learning.
He was one of the first in SIM-UB to pursue a master’s degree in psychology at a local university in 2014. He then earned a doctorate in organisational behaviour from Harvard Business School in 2019. “The solid foundation that SIM provided was crucial,” he noted.
His proactive trait shone through again when he searched for opportunities in the field of psychology. “I reached out to organisational psychology professors across Singapore until I found an opportunity.” This opportunity was a research assistant role, typically reserved for postgraduate students, before graduating. “SIM’s empowering environment encouraged this proactiveness in me,” he said with a smile.