Aug 15, 2019

For many young men and women from financially challenged backgrounds, the constant worry about making ends meet is an everyday reality.

For many young men and women from financially challenged backgrounds, the constant worry about making ends meet is an everyday reality.

Taking on significant debt for a tertiary education, that will be borne by overworked parents may be a path that they choose not to undertake.

If not for the financial aid that is extended by donors and the National University of Singapore (NUS) through bursaries and scholarships, their paths would be very different.

As Ms Jinan Loewen, a bursary recipient emphatically expressed at the NUS Annual Giving Appreciation Night 2019, “Thank you to all the donors. Thank you for making my NUS education possible, and for helping broken families like mine.”

At the annual event, Professor Ho Teck Hua (’85), Senior Deputy President and Provost gave the welcome address.

Prof Ho emphasised that an NUS education must be affordable for all deserving students. Contributions by donors play a vital role in making an NUS education affordable for the financially disadvantaged. Over the last academic year, 2,855 bursaries and 1,641 scholarships were disbursed to students, 50 per cent of whom come from families in the bottom 20th percentile of Singaporean households.

Prof Ho added that an NUS education must be sustainable in the long term. To ensure sustainability, the University must build a strong endowment to ensure long-term financial support for future generations of students.

“Every dollar that is received for this goal enables a sustainable future for NUS, where talented men and women will continue to have access to an NUS education in the decades to come,” stated Prof Ho.

He then shared with the donors in the audience that they each had been given a hand-crafted thank you card by bursary recipient, Ms Abigail Yong. A Year 2 Communications and New Media student, Ms Yong has always loved art and wanted to make something special for all the donors as an expression of her gratitude.  

In the conclusion to his speech, Prof Ho thanked the donors again. “Your generosity continues to inspire us to give the finest opportunities to the best and brightest of Singapore’s students,” remarked Prof Ho.

Prof Ho then presented the year’s Commencement Class Giving awards to the top faculties, halls and class champions who undertook fundraising to assist their juniors.

Another highlight of the evening was Ms Jinan Loewen’s performance of ABBA’s song, “Thank You for the Music”, re-written and sung with heartfelt thankfulness.

Guests and benefactors were then treated to a specially arranged whodunit dinner theatre performance over the course of dinner.

Student beneficiaries mingled with the donors and shared their life stories and aspirations throughout the event. What was once quite unobtainable for these students was made available through donors who believe in giving. The students took the opportunity provided by the event to meet and thank the benefactors personally for making an NUS education possible for them.

For information on Annual Giving, or making a gift to NUS, contact us at 1800-DEVELOP (1800-338-3567) or email askdvo@nus.edu.sg.