Graduating students kick off Annual Giving 08

Ten students from the graduating Class of 2008 are leading the charge to pay it forward, by encouraging their peers in their faculties and departments to take part in Commencement Class Giving.

The student leaders stepped up to the plate earlier this year and their appeals to help fellow students who face financial difficulty have not gone unanswered. Already, 60 students have made gifts to support bursaries for their juniors.

In the first Class Giving drive last year, over 30% of Pharmacy Class of 2007 took part - a record Luke Lau and Raghunandhan Gopalan are keen to break. They are leading the class giving for the Business School and the Faculty of Engineering respectively.

Luke says: “As I leave BizAd, I feel it is also a time for me to contribute back to the School as my way to ‘pay it forward’. University education was never easy for me. The increase in cost of living and tuition fees constantly put a strain on my family. Like some of my friends, I had to take up part-time jobs to help supplement my family's income to pay the school fees. However, I was fortunate to be awarded bursaries by the School, which really helped to lessen my financial burden.”

Raghunandhan says he is giving back to NUS because he appreciates the valuable educational experience he has enjoyed at NUS. He says: “I want to help my fellow students experience, without any compromise, the same life-shaping journey that NUS offered me. Thanks to the NUS education, alumni are able to help pay for those who are not in a position to afford it fully.”

The Commencement Class Giving is part of the Annual Giving 08 campaign which started on 1 April 2008. In just two months, 743 students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends have already made gifts to raise funds for bursaries and scholarships.