Top Class Champions and NUS Faculties, Schools and Halls of Residence were recognised in the Commencement Class Giving 2021 Awards.
Mr Kevin Ong, Director, NUS Development Office (far left) presented trophies and certificates to the Top Achievement Award winners
Just as a pride of lions works together to fiercely protect and care for their young, the Class Champions of the 2021 NUS Commencement Class Giving (CCG) campaign strived to forge a brighter future for their juniors through their fundraising efforts.
The campaign, themed “Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow”, featured the key visual of a lion and its young. Conceptualised by third-year NUS student William Warumpal Archery, it encapsulates the legacy that the lion leaves for its next generation.
The CCG tradition incepted in 2007 has since inspired over 23,000 graduating students to support their financially-strapped juniors and enrich campus life for all.
Last year, thanks to the exemplary efforts of 123 Class Champions from the graduating Class of 2021, the campaign raised over S$34,000 from the NUS community.
Raising this amount is no mean feat for the 2021 CCG Class Champions, as they had to grapple with the restrictions that came with living in the thick of a pandemic.
“Motivating peers was especially challenging, given that organic interactions were hard to come by when we had online classes,” said Class Champion Mr Gilbert Mak (’21) from the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Fortunately, the 2021 Class Champions were young digital natives adept at leveraging social media channels, messaging platforms and emails to appeal to their fellow graduating peers. They devised many other ways to pitch this cause to their peers — for instance, the Class Champions from the Faculty of Law designed a poster and reached out to their peers through Facebook and Telegram groups.
“We kept going to present one last contribution to the Department as undergraduates,” Mr Mak added.
Award-winners and special guests share stories on the outreach efforts made for CCG 2021
Receiving the Top Achievement Award on behalf of faculties/schools with the highest participation rates were Assistant Dean for Education & Outreach, Associate Professor Yap Von Bing from the NUS Faculty of Science, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programmes, Associate Professor Cheah Kok Ming from the School of Design and Environment (now part of the College of Design and Engineering), and Vice Dean for Education Office, Dr Liow Chee Hsiang from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. Ms Tan Sin Yee, Assistant Manager at Cinnamon College (University Scholars Programme), received the award on behalf of the residential college.
The top six Class Champions also received the Outstanding Achiever Award for raising the most funds and the highest number of gifts from their graduating class.
Emcee of the Commencement Class Giving Awards Presentation Ceremony,
Ms Sneha Pillai, a fourth-year student from the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences,
introduces the award winners.
“To our Class Champions, thank you for your commitment to continuing the proud tradition of paying it forward and for inspiring your juniors to do the same,” said Mr Kevin Ong, Director, Major Gifts and Frontline Enablement, NUS Development Office.
“Amid the challenges that we are facing today, it is our strong sense of community that bonds us together as one NUS. Let us continue to stand together and strengthen these efforts as we embark on another year of empowering aspirations to take flight,” added Mr Ong.
The event ended on a high note with the melodious sounds of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and other songs by the NUS Alumni Orchestra String Duet.
To Class Champions from the Class of 2021 and partners from various faculties, schools and halls of residences, thank you for braving the way to a brighter future for the NUS community!
Ms Elizabeth Low and Ms Michelle Tan from the NUS Alumni Orchestra String Duet bring classical and contemporary melodies to the CCG 2021 Awards Presentation Ceremony
