Launched in Academic Year 2012/2013, the NUSS-NUS Mentorship Programme is a joint collaboration between NUS Society (NUSS) and NUS. The programme was developed to establish a platform for students to share and learn from mentors for their holistic development, facilitate smoother university-to-work transition for students in areas of communication and interpersonal skills, and promote networking opportunities between students and the graduate communities. The Academic Year 2020/2021 marks the eighth year that NUSS has organised this programme..

In the current Academic Year 2021/2022, NUSS has successfully matched a total of 116 mentors and about 186 mentees, an increase from the previous Academic Year with 105 mentors and 172 mentees successfully matched. The continued success of the programme would not have been possible without the generous support of NUSS mentors, in particular 34 mentors who have repeatedly volunteered and invested their time and resources to guide the mentees, sharing with them their wealth of experience and professional expertise.

Dr Foo Check Woo (Science '81) who mentored Ms Celine Cho (Engineering '21) from Environmental Engineering since September 2020, shared, “It was a distinct joy for me to have this privilege of mentoring Celine. The greatest testimony of the success of this mentorship is that we remain in communication long after the mandated mentorship period had concluded, and our active interaction continues into her current working life.”

The mentees too have benefitted greatly from the programme in both personal and professional growth. Ms Hnin Azali, a Year 3 Computing student, lauded her mentor, Ms Theresa Tan (Computing '95), “She told me about her professional life journey and work ethic. Her principles align with my personal values and to hear from a female leader in technology empowered me.”

To thank the current batch of participants, an appreciation session was organised by NUSS at Kent Ridge Guild House’s Della & Seng Gee Guild Hall on 17 and 24 February 2022. 

Submitted by Ms Teo Kuan Yee (Arts and Social Sciences '94)

NUS Alumni Bursary Fund (ABF) was launched in 2013 with seed funding by NUS Society (NUSS), which had pledged to donate a sum of up to $250,000 per annum since that year. This is in line with NUSS’ mission of fostering a lifelong relationship with NUS and the wider graduate community to help financially needy NUS students. On 15 February, a cheque presentation by NUSS President Mr Edward Tay (Law '92) to NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chey (Science '85) was held at the Kent Ridge Guild House.

NUSS’ gift could also be used to seed and inspire other alumni groups raising funds for various units within NUS, such as Faculties, Departments and/or Halls for bursaries. For instance, $25,000 from FY2021 NUSS Seed Funding contributed to NUS Business School Alumni Charity Run 2022, which helped raise $512,122 as of 1 February 2022.

Submitted by Ms Teo Kuan Yee (Arts and Social Sciences '94).