Over the years, the Prefects Board has flourished, becoming an integral part of school life. Holding the reins are Head Prefect, Kaylyn Chandran and Assistant Head Prefect, Goh Mei Jing. We were lucky to be able to squeeze in an interview with them in the midst of their busy schedule. Here is how it went,...

YJC : What is one thing you would change in school to make it a better place?

Kaylyn : School is a wonderful enough environment for me and there is nothing I would change.
Mei Jing : From the top of my head, I would say nothing and I do mean it. It may sound like I'm trying to give perfect answers but I'm not! I think the policies employed and rules we currently have are quite necessary for right now. The change the school needs depends on the time it is in. For instance, this year alone we have changed Break and Lunch times which was a necessary change for the year. Who knows what change the school will need in the next 5 years?

YJC : If you could be any student (present or ex) for one day, who would it be and why?

Kaylyn : Tara Thean, Head Prefect of Class 2007. I admire her drive and tenacity at juggling between being Head Prefect, Assistant Lady Captain for Helang, Editor-in-Chief of YJC and on top of all that, top in her class. 
Mei Jing : I would want to be Sien Yi. I'd get to be Head Prefect! Bottom line, I'd be any one of the previous Head Prefects. I'm joking by the way. 

YJC : What annoys you the most?

Kaylyn : I'd have to say that people chewing food loudly or eating noisily annoys me to no end.

YJC : What is your favourite TV show?

Kaylyn : It's a tie between Grey's Anatomy and House.

YJC : Who is your lifetime role model?

Kaylyn : Marie Curie.

YJC : How does it feel like being the head prefect of Cempaka Damansara?

Kaylyn : It's an experience unlike any other. Rarely does a student get to lead and represent the student body, and I feel honored, if not humbled by the fact that I was selected.

YJC : How has it been like working with each other?

Kaylyn : Mei Jing is great - it's like I have a walking and talking personal diary next to me. But jokes aside, she is a wonderful person to work with and I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten through the first half of the year without her support. 
Mei Jing : It's been terrible and still is! It's so painful working with her. I can't wait for our tenure to end. *laughs* I joke, I joke. It's been unsurprisingly easy. As weird as this may sound, we make up for each other in areas that either of us lack in. We are quite different people. For example, Kaylyn has OCD and I don't. Again, I'm joking. I think our differences make up for a good dynamic which I like to believe we have going. 

YJC : How has this post changed you as a person?

Kaylyn : On the whole, it has definitely made me a more responsible person - what with leading my prefects and the student body, which I enjoy doing. But besides that, I've learnt to handle and deal with different characters and it has taught me to be more understanding and compassionate. 

YJC : What are the perks of being head? And what do you dislike about it?

Kaylyn : As said before, being able to lead my board and the student body is a huge plus as it is, and I can't think of a greater perk than that. But there are things that I have come to dislike occasionally, such as making impromptu decisions that do not work out well at times and dealing with difficult characters. 
Mei Jing : I can't think of a long list of perks other than getting to walk in and out of the office all the time! I love the privilege of being allowed to walk behind the counter. It is quite lame and embarrassing, I suppose, but it becomes a perk especially when you need to get something or see one of the Principals. You don't have to wait. I hate waiting, if you must know. I'm supposing my answer for this next part of the question will come off as ridiculously predictable but there is nothing I can dislike about the job. All the baggage that comes with it is all part of the territory. I can't dislike anything about it because I love bossing people around! Being head is all the more fun when you basically have power over the entire student body! 

YJC : Tell us something that most people might not have known about you.

Kaylyn :  I had a speech problem when I was younger - I used to stutter.
Mei Jing : The thing people don't know about me is probably something I don't want people to know about me so…

YJC : Last but not least, care to give a piece of advice to all those who aspire to be future prefects?

Kaylyn : For all the hopefuls out there, the most important advice I can give you is to have integrity in all that you do, not for the sake of getting recognition from others, but for yourself. As a prefect, integrity is an important value to have, on top of being disciplined and honest. Also, try participating in more extra-curricular activities and be more active in school, whether it may be in the field, on stage or behind a camera lens.
Mei Jing : I can only say that you have to be yourself. It really is so important that you genuinely present yourself for who you are. If you don't and somehow make yourself out to be what you think a prefect is supposed to be, you really are never going to enjoy being a prefect. Oh, and having a good discipline record and reputation helps too of course!