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Singapore newsletter autumn 2016

Welcome

The first two scholars have begun their studies at Warwick. A huge thank you to you, and other alumni and friends who have made this possible.

The scholarships were promoted through a network of Singaporean schools. This led to applications from students on either 90% or 100% scholarships at neighborhood schools, or the like of the Raffles Institution and the School of the Arts. The trustees received some excellent applications from students from disadvantaged families. The best candidates showed not only academic success but a great commitment to society, taking part in a range of activities outside of their studies.

We shortlisted three candidates, and were delighted to find at interview that the quality was so high we agreed to fund not one, but two scholars. Iffah and Chandra each tell their story in this newsletter.

The British High Commissioner, His Excellency Mr Scott Wightman, kindly welcomed the scholars to his residence at the end of July to wish them well with their UK studies.

I hope that you will join me in also wishing them the very best of success with their studies.

Thank you for helping to make these scholarships possible.

Gautam Banerjee
Trustee

Meet the scholars

Chandra Prakash DhanabalChandra Prakash Dhanabal

Chandra will be pursuing a BSc in Accounting and Finance.

Chandra Prakash, 21, is an alumnus of Raffles Institution (RI). The middle child in his family, Chandra never lost sight of what he wanted in life: to be successful, to provide a comfortable life for his family, and to reach out to those with potential but no opportunity, having been in their shoes himself. He saw education as the best stepping-stone to these goals, and was motivated to excel academically after joining the SINDA STEP tuition programme in primary school.

Chandra also represented RI in softball, helming the team as Vice-Captain that won the gold medal for four consecutive years amidst tough competition. He went on to represent Singapore at the 2012 Junior Men’s Softball World Championships in Argentina. In addition, he was actively involved in the Indian Cultural Society, organising events for primary school children and putting together the society’s annual production, Sangamam.

Chandra’s academic and sporting achievements were recognised in 2010 and 2011 when he received the Ng Lao Chik-SINDA Secondary Study Award, which supports deserving students in their pursuit of excellence in academics, sports, and the arts. His determination to strive to do his best in every endeavour saw him commission as an officer of the Singapore Armed Forces during his National Service.

He chose to pursue a degree in Accounting and Finance, as he believes that by logically analysing and understanding the numbers behind a business, he will be better able to run his own in the future. He anticipates that the cosmopolitan and intellectually-stimulating environment at the University of Warwick will enable him to better appreciate and to give back to his family and the society that has shaped him.

Read Chandra's first blog post at Warwick

Iffah Adawiyah AzmanIffah Adawiyah Azman

Iffah will be reading a BA in Politics and Sociology.

Iffah Adawiyah, 19, graduated from School of The Arts (SOTA), Singapore in 2015 with a specialisation in Theatre. She spent the last six years undergoing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme.

Iffah’s disciplined and consistent work ethic has led to her good academic performance over the six years, as evident by her awards for Best in Standard Level (SL) Malay (2014) and Best in SL Mathematical Studies (2014). Iffah is also the recipient of the Anugerah Mendaki for her academic performance for the year 2015.

The holistic nature of the IB programme meant Iffah was able to pursue a wide range of interests, whether in theatre or social work. Throughout the years, she has gained a vast repertoire of skills ranging from acting, technical management and design. She has acted in school productions including “The Good Person of Szechwan” (2014) and “Volpone” (2013). Iffah was also the director for her final production titled “Flight of The Flower Girl” (2015), which was entirely devised by the cast.

As part of SOTA’s Global Perspectives (GPS) programme, Iffah was involved in a service project conducted in the Philippines. Together with an NGO, Asian Bridge Foundation, Iffah was a member of the documentation team whose work focused on the culture of an indigenous Aeta community.

Iffah’s keen interest in social issues led to her setting up a project that offers free weekly tuition to underprivileged students. With the help of a counselling organisation, she was able to continue the project for over a year. Through such projects, Iffah was able to understand how someone’s personal circumstances can shape another’s, but should not be a hindrance to future progress.

Read Iffah's first blog post at Warwick

Message from the Vice Chancellor
Stuart

The activity of the Friends of the University of Warwick in Singapore Trust is a trailblazer for the University in providing generous resources to fund scholarships for low income Singaporeans to read an undergraduate degree at Warwick.

I’d like to thank all those who have made this possible. The leadership, dedication and commitment of the Trustees have been crucial to the Trust’s success. Equally, I thank all those individuals, alumni and friends of Warwick, and the corporates who have supported this initiative so enthusiastically.

I am looking forward to meeting the first scholars, Iffah and Chandra, as they take up their places at Warwick.

I also hope to meet many of you on one of my future trips to Singapore and will be delighted if you are able to visit the campus here in the UK.

Stuart Croft
Vice Chancellor, University of Warwick

Commissioner

Photograph from the British High Commission Dinner

From Left to Right:

  • Mr Prasoon Mukherjee (Founder and Chairman of Universal Success Enterprises Pte. Ltd.)
  • Manraj Sekhon (Trustee)
  • Gautam Banerjee (Trustee)
  • Iffah Adawiyah (Scholar)
  • His Excellency Mr Scott Wightman (British High Commissioner)
  • Chandra Prakash (Scholar)
  • Gary Harvey (Trustee)
  • Sharada Selvanathan (Trustee)

How we funded the scholarships

The Trust has raised $376,155. After taking into account the operating expenses of $31,800 for professional services and events, $344,356 remained which has allowed the funding of the first two scholarships for students beginning their studies in the academic year 2016/17.

The Trustees will continue to work with the University of Warwick to identify and recruit suitable scholarship candidates in the future.

The fundraising success since the Trust was set up has inspired the trustees to continue fundraising for annual revenue and to aim to create an endowment, which would secure the availability of scholarships indefinitely.

Tim Hartnoll
Treasurer

Could you help more students like Chandra Prakash and Iffah to come to Warwick?

Donate tax-efficiently now

There are a number of ways to make your tax-efficient gift today:

Online. Please fill out this form which includes all of the requirements for IRAS and submit it to us for processing.

On receipt of the form we will provide you with details of the bank account for the Friends of the University of Warwick in Singapore to which you can make a direct bank transfer.

BY CHEQUE

Please fill out the same form as above, but send a cheque with the donation directly to:

Tim Hartnoll
The Treasurer
Friends of the University of Warwick in Singapore
Sea Consortium Pte Ltd
11 Duxton Hill
Singapore
089595

Friends of the University of Warwick in Singapore Trust IPC number and contact details

The Trust is a registered IPC with the Unique Entity Number (UEN) T14CC0003B.

Registered address:

c/o Blackstone Singapore Pte Ltd.
Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 2
Suite 13-01/02, 10 Marina Boulevard
Singapore 018983

Trustees:

  • Gautam Banerjee, Chairman, Blackstone Singapore Pte Ltd, Warwick alumnus
  • Weiling Chua, Director of Business Development, Ho Bee Holdings, Warwick alumna
  • Jean Foo, Director, Tai Ji Food & Beverage Co Ltd, Warwick alumna
  • Tim Hartnoll, Chairman, Sea Consortium, Warwick alumnus
  • Caroline Lim, Global Head of HR & Corporate Affairs, PSA International, Friend of Warwick
  • Manraj Sekhon, CEO, Fullerton Fund, Warwick alumnus
  • Sharada Selvanathan, Manager, GoodHope Asia Holdings Ltd, Warwick alumna
  • Gary Harvey, CEO & Director, Nexus Financial Services Pte Ltd, Warwick alumnus
  • Rachel Sandby-Thomas, University Registrar and COO, Warwick alumnus (Rachel is the incoming Registrar of Warwick and is in the process of being appointed to replace former trustee and Registrar, Ken Sloan)

The Friends of the University of Warwick in Singapore Trust’s mission is to provide scholarships for high potential, low income Singaporeans to experience undergraduate education at the University of Warwick. Valued between $50,000 SGD and $65,000 SGD per year of the undergraduate programme, they are funded by generous alumni and friends.

Donate now