Mrs Tracey Casari.

While we’ve witnessed tremendous progress in women's empowerment over the years, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) arena is still mostly a man’s world. Females remain a minority in STEM roles worldwide.

As part of the global push to close the gender gap and unlock the untapped potential of women, Wings Trust is committed to providing quality education for ladies. The New Zealand charity is setting up the Wings Scholarship for female undergraduates pursuing STEM programmes at NUS.

“We believe advancing education assists the future of our planet and allows young adults insights into more worthy causes than just financial gain. Supporting a young lady in STEM allows her to gain expertise and also feel equal and confident within a male-dominated world. She will also contribute to how young men perceive their own world,” shared Mrs Tracey Casari, a trustee of the Wings Charitable Trust.

Wings Trust collaborates with its Singapore representative Lotus Circle to seek out deserving educational institutions and students to further this mission. On selecting NUS, Mrs Casari, who is also a representative from Lotus Circle, explained: “We felt that the top university would be a wonderful breeding ground for talented students wishing to make a difference in our world.” 

Uplifting fellow women is a cause close to Mrs Casari’s heart. Having navigated a male-dominated financial industry, she understands the impact of an opportunity on one’s career.

“My general manager at that time gave me the chance to work in the trust business and I was able to build up my knowledge and expertise in that area. I gradually moved up the ladder even though it was dominated by males,” she said.

As the recipient of generous support along her journey, Mrs Casari believes in paying it forward.

“We believe that giving back to the young and financially needy is a way of thanking society for our blessings. Not everyone in life has been given the chances and privileges we have been given, and we should acknowledge this by supporting the youth that is our future,” Mrs Casari elaborated.

By founding the Wings Scholarship, Wings Trust hopes it will set off a ripple effect of kindness throughout the community.

Ms Casari added, “We wish to see our students grow in confidence and nurture others who are less fortunate. We hope they feel blessed by the chance they have been given by the Wings Scholarship. We want them to be proud they can fly.”