A Rocky Start

Looking at Ziv Ng now, many would assume that he had always had a keen interest in social science research, policy analysis, and global socio-political dynamics. Yet for the third-year NUS College (NUSC) student majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) with a Minor in Southeast Asian Studies at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), the path to his passion was full of unexpected turns – to say the least. 

“As a straight-A student from a top JC, I was surrounded by peers who were all aspiring to become doctors. I, too, felt the social pressure to run with the crowd. Since I was in the Science stream and have always liked helping people, I reckoned: ‘Why not?’” he shares. 

A Door Closes, Another Opens

However, Ziv’s buoyant confidence was rudely dented when his application to NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine was turned down, despite his stellar academic results. “This setback threw me into an existential crisis, and got me rethinking about what I really wanted at this major crossroad,” he recalls. Concomitantly, Ziv’s Navy vocation in National Service was opening his eyes to a new world of military diplomacy and defence-related work – something he found both compelling and meaningful.  

This led to Ziv developing a passion for international relations and political philosophy, and his search for relevant programmes led him to NUS FASS’ Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) Programme. “The PPE curriculum cultivates foundational skillsets, such as being critical and interdisciplinary in our thinking, and shapes our worldview and perspectives through the broad range of content and disciplines covered.”

While many PPE majors do pursue careers in policy work and economic research in the public sector, Ziv is happy to debunk this stereotype too. “The employment trajectories of my PPE seniors are really diverse – ranging from consulting, business resilience, finance and partnership to equity research,” he reveals. 

Of Black Coffee, Blackpink and Black Board Pieces

Outside of studies, Ziv is also a coffee lover, though one who enjoys the brewing of beans more than the ingesting of caffeine. He is especially not a fan of black coffee, describing it as his personal Kryptonite. Touting the ‘Kopi Gao Siu-dai’ from The Deck as the best on campus, the Master Chef fan and foodie also enjoys cafe hopping with his mates and posting Instagram reviews.

On campus, Ziv resides at NUSC, and served as Chief Student Ambassador, leading nearly 100 students in impactful outreach and engagement endeavours to JC and Polytechnic students. Ziv credits this programme for polishing his public speaking and networking skills. “As an ambassador, I have had the opportunity to speak not just to prospective students but also to stakeholders from around the world, including overseas education counsellors and international students,” he elaborates. 

At NUSC, he became a member of a close-knit community that offered constant interaction opportunities, including lunch/dinner get-togethers, academic support, movie nights, and even casual strolls around campus.

His campus life is also enlivened by NUSC interest groups in dance and Reversi. “My grandmother first taught me the board game, and I have continued playing in the Inter-Faculty Games which we won last year. As for dance, I love it but frankly am not the best dancer around!” confesses the Kpop fan who names Red Velvet and Blackpink as his jam.

Close-Knit / Open-Minded 

On what freshmen can expect from the NUSC culture, Ziv offers: “Be prepared to have your assumptions challenged. I found myself constantly engaged and stimulated in this environment of constant activity and events. In NUSC, we have a tight and welcoming community – one that is curious, open-minded, and has a strong desire to learn.”

Of the NUSC courses he enjoyed, Ziv named NGT2001: Global Social Thought and NHS2053: Heterogenous Indians of Contemporary Singapore as his favourites. The former module reminded him of Political Philosophy, while the latter took the learning out of the classroom with film screenings and field trips.

In addition to NUSC’s interdisciplinary and experiential education, Ziv appreciates its seminar-style classes that balances lectures and peer collaboration in uniquely small classes of a dozen or so students, and found himself thriving even though he initially found speaking up in class an intimidating experience. “I feared my arguments were not nuanced enough. But once I voiced out my concerns to my peers, I realised we all shared the same fears. Together we overcame our nervousness and adapted,” he laughs.

The assessments in NUS College are also distinct, with an emphasis on creativity and individual learning. Instead of traditional exams or essays, students are often encouraged to submit creative pieces.

He shares: “I once submitted a comic for a final assessment piece, while my peers have written plays or produced short films. The unconventional pedagogy really pushes us to think outside the box, and to engage deeply with the material in collaborative learning.”

Changing the Social Space of Policy

By his own admission, Ziv dabbles in a myriad of interests but his primary motivation remains centred on helping people. Since his school days, he has been deeply involved in community service – ranging from home refurbishment for rental flats, befriending the elderly, and being a museum docent. Coming from a comfortable background, it was only when Ziv first started engaging with the wider community at ground level that he became deeply interested in issues of community engagement and support, kick-starting a journey of research and reading that has since shaped and changed his views in this specific policy space. “I want to change that space. By directly interacting with the respondents and beneficiaries, instead of trying to effect change from a perspective that is more removed, I hope to better understand and engage with ground realities and issues,” he adds.

The NUS global experience also helped widen Ziv’s frame of reference in interest areas such as international relations and governance. Besides his winter exchange at Yonsei University in Korea where he studied international relations of Northeast Asia, Ziv is also headed for a Student Exchange Programme (SEP) next semester at the University of Toronto.

On his choice of Canada for the exchange, he explains: “Much of Canada’s urban development involved indigenous lands, sparking debates about reparations for native populations. This falls under the field of indigenous politics and law, which I find particularly intriguing.”

Digging Deeper, Searching Farther

Driven by his personal interests, Ziv has also pursued research projects under the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) at NUS and its Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), working on varied topics such as how the framing of medical information based on a specific cultural context can have a bearing on patients’ likelihood of following medication instructions, and migration governance.

For the latter, Ziv took an NUSC course on human trafficking and labour migration, and was inspired to contribute to research on ASEAN labour migration policies as a Research Assistant to identify gaps in social integration, workplace and healthcare policies. Subsequently, he was able to propose brief recommendations, slated to be presented at a conference, to better inform healthcare policies and practices after examining health-related issues in ageing societies. Part of the Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) and the Research Experience Programme (REx) at NUS College, Ziv’s project is ongoing and part of his academic curriculum. 

Levelling the Playing Field

For his Impact Experience (IEx) project — NUSC's capstone programme — Ziv and his teammates are currently working on “Gigonomics: Understanding and Improving the Gig Economy”, under the supervision of Dr George Radics. A two-year-long project, his team collaborated with the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA) under the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to raise awareness of welfare schemes available for food delivery riders.

“Through interacting with riders and understanding their specific needs, we aim to increase the accessibility and knowledge of such schemes, thereby ensuring that riders receive the assistance they require,” elaborating on how they plan to make a positive contribution in promoting equitable labour practices here, especially for the more elderly and vulnerable gig workers.

When asked how he wishes to shape the future, Ziv reflects: “In Singapore, we stress a lot on meritocracy and levelling the playing field. But a level playing field can be difficult to achieve and sustain, due to constantly changing circumstances. My motivation to pursue social policy intervention is to find out what can be done to level the field more, and improve society as a whole.”