Why Sharon Au Got Emotional At Her St Nicholas Girls' School Reunion, An Event That Was “Top Secret [And Required] Military-Grade Planning”

It’s clear as day that Sharon Au, 49, looks back fondly on her secondary school days.

The former Mediacorp host's heartfelt IG post on Aug 2 about her secondary school reunion, which took place 34 years after graduation, says it all. 

“Three decades ago, I walked out of the blue gates of St Nicholas Girls’ School — armed with oversized dreams, melodramatic diary entries, and far too many emotions. Last night, I walked back in.
Class of 1991: Grand Reunion.
And just like that — everything came rushing back,” Sharon wrote. 

Sharon, who graduated from St. Nicks in 1991, went on to study in Hwa Chong Junior College, and got her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Tokyo’s Waseda University.

8days.sg reached out to Sharon to find out more about the reunion, held on Aug 1 at Kith Café in Millenia Walk (“It's even more meaningful because Kith is owned by our fellow St Nicks sister, Jane Hia”).

The gathering, attended by 121 St Nicks alumni from the Class of 1991, also marked a special occasion as "this legendary batch of girls is officially hitting the big 5-0 this year".

Sharon shared a video and a few pictures from the reunion, where she donned the St Nicks uniform alongside her former principal, Mrs Hwang.

“When Mrs. Hwang saw me in one, she found it so delightfully nostalgic, she put one on too,” she says.

Planning the reunion was no easy feat for the St Nicks reunion committee. Sharon reveals:  “It was top-secret, military-grade planning led by the most efficient, fearsome, Excel-sheet wielding women you’ll ever meet”.

The committee had gone to the effort of tracking the entire class of 1991 down, and though they were faced with “some very questionable profile pictures”, had made the reunion a success by gathering over a hundred students from one cohort in the same place.

Sharon also recalled the very wholesome interactions she had with her former teachers, with one of them recounting how Sharon used to laugh until she toppled off her chair in class.

“I still do,” she admits. 

Another teacher also pulled Sharon aside to dish out some advice.

Her sincere message? “Sharon, don’t give up on finding a life partner.”

To that Sharon simply quipped: “God bless her for believing in me more than any dating apps ever have.”

Some of Sharon’s fondest memories from St Nicks include cheering like they “had just won the Olympics” after winning the school’s House Championship, and very comically, “running like an Olympic sprinter to escape the nurse with the BCG needle... and still getting caught”.

She also gushes over how she and her fellow St Nicks girls used to belt out ‘爱我圣尼各拉’ (Love me, St Nicholas), one of the schools’ iconic songs, “with all the drama of a Broadway finale”.

“Those moments weren’t just fun — these are the moments that built the Sharon you see today. Still dramatic. Still Blue House proud. And still terrified of needles,” she tells us.

When asked about her favourite memory from the reunion, Sharon says: “Without a doubt, the opening prayer.”

“It was a quiet, beautiful moment that honoured the teachers and friends who have passed on. Among them was a dear classmate of ours — someone I had journeyed with through all four years from Sec 1 to 4, and two years in the same faculty in Hwa Chong JC. Remembering her together, in that tender stillness, reminded me that true friendship doesn’t fade,” she elaborates.

“I couldn’t control the tears that flowed during the prayer — not from sadness alone, but from a deep well of gratitude. For the friendships that shaped us. For the time we shared. And for the unspoken promise that we carry their memory with us, always,” continues Sharon.

It’s been over 30 decades, but it’s easy to see that the memories Sharon forged in secondary school are some of the ones she holds closest to her heart.

She tells us: “Even after all these years, the spirit of sisterhood remains — deep, enduring, and full of grace.”