As the President of the NUS Students' Political Association (NUSPA), Qayyum's stable and resilient leadership guided NUSPA through the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition back to the "new normal." Qayyum believed that while project execution and success are key for NUSPA, future planning and holistic well-being are just as integral. Qayyum enouraged an open and collaborative culture, where he was clear of his intentions and rationale in decision-making and had an openness to receiving feedback and criticism. His interpersonal skills and dedication to his members allowed him to place his teammates in ideal positions where their strengths were able to shine, strengthening the team and their programmes, which helped NUSPA to recover from the challenges faced as a result of the COVID pandemic. To Qayyum, leadership is, at its core, not just about decision making and giving instruction but about empowerment. 

A strategic and driven leader dedicated to both organisational excellence and member development, Edward served as President of impacT for the first semester, and as an advisor the second. Edward was dedicated to his team members, getting to know them individually through regular check ins, and prioritised their personal and professional development over absolute effectiveness, giving them a chance to learn and strengthen their leadership skills. He was strategic in ensuring the sustainability of impacT, including an alumni engagement initiative, to facilitate the transfer of content and operational knowledge, and was innovative in finding ways for members to contextualise their learnings and put them into practice. Edward’s unwavering guiding principle in his leadership was the values of impacT – that in whatever they do, they must always have the other members and the broader community in mind. 

A committed and innovative leader, Katherine served as President of the Duke-NUS Student Council for two years and continued to serve as the Vice-President (Welfare) for a third year, providing mentorship to the incoming leadership committee. Understanding the value of building camaraderie and school spirit in shaping the culture and student experience of Duke-NUS, Katherine initiated events such as a catered dinner and movie night at Vivocity, a Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day, as well as a Student Life Fair and the distribution of welfare packs while pandemic restrictions were still ongoing. Katherine took the time to reach out to incoming students from abroad to connect with them on a personal level, answered concerns they may have, and provided support and guidance in their transition to life on campus in Singapore. An inclusive and communicative leader, Katherine encourages feedback from her team, and runs her ideas by her team before implementation, ensuring her team that their voices matter in decision-making. 

Under Cherlin’s future-focused and innovative leadership, the Political Science Society of NUS has seen the development of initiatives that contributed toward the strengthening and sustainability of the Society. Cherlin initiated creative measures to create a safe and holistic environment for her team to thrive, including a robust succession plan to ease the learning curve for incoming position holders and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiative to ensure competent and effective representation of the student body. Modifications were made to the internal system to ensure that her team members were treated fairly and had resources to prevent burnout. Beyond that, Cherlin has been an inspiration to her teammates in her competency, professionalism and engagement with others in the realm of politics. 

Under Wei Shuang’s dedicated and visionary leadership for two years, the NUS Students’ Community Service Club (CSC) saw an expansion in their 25 volunteering programmes with a return to their pre-pandemic scale, including an increase in volunteers, community partners, volunteer opportunities, and a shift toward incorporating the principles of Asset Based Community Development into their approach to community service. An attuned and empowering leader, Wei Shuang collaborated with her team to plan a leadership retreat to equip their leaders with tools to create sustainable programmes that continue to meet the changing needs of the community. Beyond her role as President of CSC, Wei Shuang stepped up as a member of the Student Life Task Force 2.0, has been nominated to be a key representative under the NUS Cares Steering Committee. She is involved as part of the opening plenary for the “Community in Action” Festival 2023. Her philosophy is that “nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.” 

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