Shaped by their own journeys of growth and reflection, Sherman and Evangeline Ng hope to inspire others to live and give with intention.
For Sherman and Evangeline Ng (Law ’06), real change begins upstream, long before its effects are visible. They see education as one of the most powerful ways to change lives and make a lasting impact. This conviction led them to set up the Sherman and Evangeline Ng Bursary at NUS to support undergraduate students, particularly those pursuing a degree in law. The couple is making this gift through SN Global Holdings, the business consultancy and investment holding company they founded in 2015.
“We wanted to give back in a sustainable and meaningful way,” said Mr Ng. “It is in our family’s values to create what we call upstream impact.”
While Mr Ng is not an NUS graduate, Mrs Ng described her time at the University as a “key milestone”, one that shaped her both personally and professionally, and helped her grow far beyond the classroom. “It was one of the most memorable seasons of my life,” she recalled. “Apart from the academic achievements which set me up for a good career, I had meaningful experiences and made good friends who I am still close to today.”
Mrs Ng embraced campus life fully, producing a musical for her graduating class and even competing in a beauty pageant. These experiences taught her leadership, confidence and resilience, lessons she hopes future bursary recipients will gain too. It is this sense of holistic growth, encompassing academics, character and community, that the couple hopes to support through their Bursary.
Hard-earned Conviction
Mr Sherman and Mrs Evangeline Ng believe that their Bursary will inspire strong values in the students who receive it.
Beyond financial support alone, the Bursary is about passing on values. The Ngs hope their children and grandchildren will remember why it was started: that life must be lived for something greater than oneself.
Having grown up in a broken home, Mr Ng believed that he could find meaning in personal success. He threw himself into pursuing an illustrious career in financial services, ignoring the gnawing need to prove himself that lay beneath.
In 2011, Mr Ng entered a prolonged season of personal and professional crisis. Plans unravelled, certainty gave way to instability and the trajectory he had carefully built was abruptly disrupted. In that season of dislocation, his faith in God became his anchor: providing clarity when direction was uncertain, resilience when momentum was lost, and conviction when outcomes were unclear.
Through this foundation of faith, Mr Ng was able to remain steady through adversity. Over time, this anchoring led to renewal and rebuilding, culminating in the formation and growth of a group of successful small businesses.
Today, he leads SN Global Holdings, with interests across Defence, Media & Entertainment, Finance and other industries in the region.
A Fitting Partnership
The decision to give through NUS felt like a natural fit. The Ngs see the institution as a place that nurtures both academic ability and character. “NUS does a great job of raising not just good students, but good people,” said Mrs Ng. “And the University makes donors feel genuinely connected to the life of the school.”
To the students who receive their Bursary, they offer a simple message: “Your life matters. You are created for impact.”
It is a belief they both carry deeply. “We have one life. A good way to extend it is by sowing seeds for the future,” shared Mr Ng. “There is a Chinese proverb that says, ‘前人栽树，后人乘凉’: ‘One generation plants the trees, the next enjoys the shade.’ We would love the chance to be the ones planting the trees, and to know that those trees may one day shelter someone we may never meet, in ways we may never see.”
You too can sow seeds for the future when you make a gift to the Plant-It-Forward Challenge today. Your gift will support students in need through the Enhanced Financial Aid Scheme, and every S$1,000 given to the Challenge will be recognised with a tree planted on campus.
