Paying it forward

Classroom 2-1 in NUS Business School’s Mochtar Riady Building has been named the Kwai Fong and Raymond Goh Seminar Room as a tribute to these namesakes for their generosity.

NUSBBA alumni couple Raymond Goh (Class of 1990) and Lee Kwai Fong (Class of 1989) met as undergraduates in NUS Business School. The husband-and-wife team set up the Business Dean’s – Kwai Fong and Raymond Goh Scholarship and Kwai Fong and Raymond Goh Bursary and Scholarship in 2012 and 2015 respectively. Both grants had supported a total of 54 students in financial aid to date.

During the naming ceremony, Raymond said, “When I was studying at NUS Business School, I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship every year. I benefitted from the kindness of people who came before me. Because of that, I had a little bit of success in my career. I decided to set up scholarships to benefit other students in return for the kindness that was shown to us before.”

Business Dean’s – Kwai Fong and Raymond Goh Scholarship covers the recipient’s tuition fees and allowance for four years’ of study. Year 2 student Tan Jia Siang Cliff, whose father’s livelihood was affected by the pandemic, has benefitted from this scholarship. He said, “When the COVID-19 situation arose, many businesses were impacted, my father’s included. With this scholarship, I did not have to place a financial burden on my parents. I felt relieved that I could study without any financial worries.”

Cliff has also enriched his university experience by participating in club activities, competitions, and doing research. He hopes to pay it forward when he has the financial capacity in the future.

Another recipient is Year 1 student Kiara Chern Ze Yee.

Coming from a large family of seven and with her father as the sole breadwinner, Kiara is grateful for the financial help that the scholarship provides. “I still remembered how surprised my father was when I broke the news to him and how happy he was when he shared the news with my uncles and my grandmother. This makes me want to continue to be someone that he can be proud of and to count on,” said Kiara.

Kiara shared that her results were average at one point and she’s had to work extra hard to earn a scholarship.  Thus the grant serves as a reminder of her efforts and inspires her to continue working hard.

In her first year of university, Kiara has made the best out of it by helping to improve student life through her participation in the Bizad Club, and volunteering through the Rotaract Club.

To Kiara, Business Dean’s – Kwai Fong and Raymond Goh Scholarship has created opportunities for her and many others.