Name
Marie Mattock, it used to be Marie Schruff when I was at school.
Time at GESS
1991-1998
Year of Graduation
1998
What has your learning journey and career been like after GESS?
I spent a year in Paris after I left school to bring my French skills up to conversational French. After that I joined the University of Bath in the UK and went through an Undergraduate Degree in Biology. I was then offered a position in a laboratory also in Bath to do a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology.
I decided to not stay in Academia after I finished my PhD. I chose the role of a sales person and started working for an American company as a sales representative looking after customers all over Europe. I’ve had my career growth within that company and now I’m a manager of the Pan-European team. The company deals with scientific instruments such as testing equipment and microscopes. I now look after a team of technical experts for this equipment.
Overall, the important thing for me was to reach a goal. I used to be a horse rider when I was in school and I always wanted to have my own horse. Keeping a horse in Singapore is quite expensive so I couldn’t. So when I started working I had a picture of a pony stuck on my visor in the car and whenever I flipped my visor down I had a picture of a pony and I was sitting in the traffic jam on the motorway thinking “One day pony! One day I’ll own you.” I made sure to build a career to get there one day. And now I own two ponies.
What is your favourite memory of your time at GESS?
I love animals and one of my favourite memories was discovering the wild animals that had snuck into the classrooms overnight. We found a scorpion once and a snake. They were usually in the science room which faced the jungle at the back of the school. I also loved seeing the monkeys walk past.
What do you miss most about your time at GESS?
Initially, I missed my friends and the community I was in. Later on, I missed the feeling of safety, of knowing where I was going and having a path set out for me and being able to rely on that. Because, in the big wild world, it’s a little bit more scary. It’s a little bit more daunting. You have to look after yourself and you have to know where you are going and sometimes these decisions are not easy to make.
What do you miss about Singapore and your life there?
I miss the warmth and the social life that comes along with it. The endless summer. I love summer. I live in the UK now and although where I live it’s absolutely beautiful, I’m always cold. I’m always wearing a few more layers than my friends.
Did you have any favourite spots in Singapore?
I lived right next to the Bukit Batok Nature Park and I used to spend a lot of time there. There’s a quarry with a beautiful quarry lake right in the middle of that park and that’s where I used to spend whole afternoons some days. I used to love going to Newton Circus, the hawker centre there and exploring Little India. These are little spots that I have very fond memories of.
How do you think your time at GESS has impacted your life?
Living in Singapore means more or less being a minority in a big metropolis. It teaches you to be open and accepting of different cultures. It also allows you to understand that other people can live completely different lives from you. And yet, it’s still wonderful and different and yet completely normal to them. You can learn to become quite accepting of differences and different ways of going about solving problems in life, and having the confidence to know that if you’re slightly different or your approach is slightly different, that’s also ok.
Are there any specific values or skills that you attribute to your time at GESS?
Starting from something very practical, I think as a manager of a diverse European team I’ve certainly been able to use the language skills as well as a degree of acceptance and the ability to understand different viewpoints. That has really stood me in good stead. And a respect for people, for different skillsets, diversity and the strength that a diverse team has with a variety of skills coming from different directions. I think that kind of knowledge and understanding goes back to my time in Singapore for sure.
What makes GESS special to you?
I think it was a lovely community within what was for many of us a very new world, a very new experience. It was made special by the people. I have very fond memories of some teachers – Mrs. Yew, our sports teacher, for example. I think of her very frequently, whenever I do sports really. I think of our principals. We’ve had some wonderful school principals. Mr. Schumann was our last principal and I remember him very fondly. He certainly inspired my passion for biology, which I then later carried on in my education. But also, this concept of a little German community taking their pupils through a German school education within Singapore and maintaining this little chunk of culture. I really love that.
Is there any piece of advice or any experience you would like to share with current GESS students?
My advice is for you students to remember that you are very privileged in being able to live in this country and to be able to attend the school. Take with you an appreciation for how lucky you are to be able to spend some years at this school, in this very pleasant environment. Take with you some humbleness, some humility for the fact that other people are not as privileged and they have to overcome harder challenges to reach the level of education that you might be attaining. Be aware that some people have to work a lot harder to get where you are right now. Be prepared to be generous to others and share some of that great privilege that you’ve had.
I joined the professional world at a time when women in the professional domain were just starting to make more and more of an impact in senior roles within businesses. It’s still very heavily balanced against females, especially in higher leadership roles. But the world is changing and companies that are embracing diversity and a diverse workforce which is balanced, both in cultures, but also in gender equality, are better companies. They are stronger companies. And more pleasant places to work at. My experience was that it was worth it to insist and it was worth it to kind of push for things with the knowledge that I can rely on my education and what I bring to the table. Knowing that I am just as powerful and just as strong and just as knowledgeable and professional as anybody else out there.
