The Undergraduate Scholarship and Bursary Awards Appreciation Dinner was held on 26 January at the NUSS Kent Ridge Guild House. More than 180 donors, students, staff and faculty attended the annual event.
Paying it forward: Undergraduate Scholarship and Bursary Awards Appreciation Dinner
Mr Lam Kun Kin giving his speech at the Dinner
For the donors, bursaries and scholarships is a way of giving back to the school. In his speech, Mr Lam Kun Kin, Lam Peng Hong Memorial Bursary Donor, said his challenging experiences, such as having to study in dim corridors, made him realised that students should not face restrictions in their education journey. Mr Lam is an accounting alumnus of the School and is Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Global Treasury & Investment Banking, OCBC.
“Having studied at NUS Accountancy and successfully graduated from it – it only seemed natural to want to assist another young person to achieve his educational goals now that I am able to,” said Ms Chew Gek Hiang, Chew Gek Hiang Bursary Donor. Ms Chew is Executive Director and Head of Finance, Tecity Group.
In her speech, Ms Chew Gek Hiang shares her thoughts on giving
“It is but a small gesture of appreciation for the dedication and efforts the teaching staff made in ensuring that I graduated and the help it made in my working life. If the bursary is able to do that for another person annually then it will indeed be gratifying to have set up the award,” said Ms Chew.
Ms Chew, whose family members travel overseas to do volunteer work, encouraged students to give back to the society, especially volunteering. She explained that doing volunteer work is rewarding and gives an enriching experience.
Other donors, such as Mr Thomas Pek, Pek Cheng Chuan Memorial Bursary, see giving as a way of inspiring the next generation and paying it forward. Mr Pek is Managing Director at Tai Hua Food Industries.
Mr Thomas Pek (left) presenting the Pek Cheng Chuan Memorial Bursary to student Ng Zhi Hui (centre), with Assoc Prof Chng Chee Kiong, Vice Dean, Undergraduate Studies
“It has imbued in my siblings and I the sense to share and help others who may be less fortunate in their pursuit of education. We, in turn, inculcate the same spirit in our children,” said Mr Pek, who would like to see the beneficiaries, in their later years, do their bit for the underprivileged and the society at large
Pheeraphat Chew talks about his scholarship at the Dinner
“There is a common saying that nobody should be deprived of the right to education because of their financial background, and it is the generosity of Kwai Fong and Raymond as well as all the donors here today that make that very statement not merely a lofty ideal, but a reality,” said Year 3 student Pheeraphat Chew, recipient of the Kwai Fong & Raymond Goh Scholarship Recipient. Both donors are alumni of the School and Mr Goh was a recipient of scholarships in his student days.
The satisfaction of knowing that one has helped someone is an immensely rewarding experience, according to Mr Pek. “A few years back at the airport, someone suddenly came up and greeted me, saying he was a past recipient,” he said.
For more information on giving, please visit bschool.nus.edu.sg/giving.