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Embracing passion,
seizing opportunities
Want to go places? Mary Lim discovers the world’s within reach at NUS, thanks to
abundant opportunities that connect students and alumni to global organisations Come
Justin Lee
Discover
Computing graduate Justin Lee, 27, believes that entrepreneurs need to develop the NUS
Difference
networks and look beyond Singapore for global opportunities. That is one of
the reasons why he decided to bring Facebook to Singapore.
While at NUS, Justin spent a year in Silicon Valley, California, on the NUS Overseas
Colleges programme. This programme aims to nurture students into enterprising,
A leading university, the
resourceful, independent self-starters who will eventually blossom into successful
entrepreneurs by immersing them as interns in high-tech startups located in the leading National University of Singapore
entrepreneurial hubs of California, Philadelphia, Shanghai, Stockholm and Bangalore. (NUS) offers the widest range of
At Silicon Valley, Justin pitched to Facebook to open up its network to undergraduate courses among
universities in Singapore. This led to NUS, the Nanyang Technological University the local universities. There are
and Singapore Management University becoming Asia’s first universities to be vast opportunities for students
added to Facebook’s previously private network. to pursue more than 60 different
And to help nurture companies in the interactive digital media scene, Justin majors from its 14 faculties
helped establish The Garag3, a partnership with NUS and the Media Development and schools.
Authority. In addition to organising networking activities for aspiring entrepreneurs,
it also offers grants and advice to start-up companies. Faculties / Schools:
Says Justin: “I want Singapore to be better plugged into the global ecosystem l Arts and Social Sciences l
of entrepreneurial activity. We have to embrace globalisation and develop the Business l Computing l Dentistry
foresight to equip ourselves with the skills for tomorrow. l Design and Environment l
“My education at NUS has enhanced my global mindset. Besides its diversity Engineering l Law l Medicine
of students from the world over, the school also offers various overseas
(including Nursing) l Music
immersion programmes. NUS has prepared me well to take on the challenges of
the ever-changing global landscape.” l Science l University Scholars
Programme l Lee Kuan Yew School
of Public Policy l NUS Graduate
Farhan Ali School for Integrative Sciences and
Engineering l Duke-NUS Graduate
To 25-year-old Farhan Ali, thinking global is important.
That is why he joined the University Scholars Medical School Singapore
Programme (USP) when he enrolled at NUS. Most extensive offering of
“USP gave me the opportunity to experience an concurrent degree, double degree,
interdisciplinary and flexible education system, and
double major programmes in
I was able to participate in interdisciplinary research
and in numerous overseas programmes. I cherished Singapore.
the sense of belonging and empowered intellectual
and personal development from the programme,” says A globally-oriented
Farhan, who graduated last year with a Bachelor of educational experience at NUS
Social Sciences in Psychology. is complemented by innovative
In 2005, he clinched a Don Rosen Research Award at the prestigious Willi Hennig double degree and joint degree
Society Meeting, which brings together students of cladistics, a study of classification programmes with leading partner
of species based on evolutionary ancestry. Farhan, two other undergraduates and a universities like Australian National
USP alumnus became the first Asian students and only undergraduates to achieve University, Carnegie Mellon
top honours by bagging four out of five awards at the event.
University, Columbia University,
Reveals Farhan: “Our win highlighted the ability of NUS students to perform
on a larger stage in evolutionary biology and biodiversity, an area of research New York University, Peking
previously dominated by the American and European universities.” University, University of Melbourne,
Later this year, he will realise his dreams of becoming a scientist when University of North Carolina at
he pursues his PhD studies at Harvard University, where he was awarded a Chapel Hill and many more.
competitive summer research attachment in 2006. More information can be found at
“Many biological problems and diseases go beyond national boundaries, so http://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/course/.
having a global mindset and perspective is crucial. And I appreciate my education There are also overseas
at NUS for helping me cultivate this mentality,” he says. exposure and entrepreneurship
opportunities, such as student
exchange programmes and NUS
Lucasfilm Animation Singapore
Photo: Daniel Bayona of

Charlotte Tan Overseas Colleges in partnership

Twenty-one-year-old computing undergraduate with leading universities. More than
Charlotte Tan enjoys going to work every day. Working 10,000 undergraduates go overseas
alongside colleagues who hail from the world over for such programmes while at NUS.
allows her to experience different cultures and
lifestyles.
Charlotte is on a six-month internship with Lucasfilm Special Programmes:
Animation Singapore (LAS) under NUS School of l University Scholars Programme
Computing’s Advanced Technology Attachment l Student Exchange Programme
Programme. Her main responsibility is to develop in partnership with 200 leading
web applications for the company, which works with partner universities
Lucasfilm Animation in California to produce CG-animation series Star Wars: The l NUS Overseas Colleges in Silicon
Clone Wars, which is scheduled for broadcast this year. Valley, Bio Valley, Stockholm,
“This internship helps me gain invaluable insights into the industry and provides Shanghai and Bangalore
me with greater awareness of my career aspirations. I have seen how the company l University Research Opportunities
works closely with its American counterparts, and how it integrates everything
Programme
together. I enjoy the environment here because it fosters learning,” she reveals.
Her enthusiasm has impressed LAS Production Resources Head John Sanders l Special Programme in Science
who adds: “Charlotte’s contributions have made a great impact in the efficiency
of day-to-day operations at LAS, and I am excited to see her future work as she A diverse and cosmopolitan
delves deeper into the animation process.” community of 24,000 undergraduate
Working in an organisation such as LAS has also heightened Charlotte’s
and 7,000 graduate students from
awareness of the effects of globalisation. “NUS has prepared me well for this
internship. I will continue to gain a broad and rich working experience, and learn 100 countries contribute to a rich
about foreign cultures. learning and living environment
“The knowledge will help me work closely with people of different nationalities across three-state-of-the-art
and tackle the challenges of working in different environments,” says Charlotte. campuses at Kent Ridge, Bukit
Timah and Outram. By 2010,
University Town will be NUS’
Tong Ming Xi fourth campus with the pioneer
One would have expected Mechanical Engineering development of 10 residential
graduate Tong Ming Xi to become an engineer. colleges, achieving yet another
But the 29-year-old chose to pursue a career in music first for NUS and Singapore.
instead. He attributes this decision to opportunities
attained while studying at NUS.
Says Ming Xi: “I’d heard about how NUS’ A research-intensive university
international exchange programmes gave students the with an entrepreneurial
opportunity to experience a different culture and add environment complements the
a new perspective to our studies. globally-oriented, multi-disciplinary
“During my exchange at Canada’s McMaster education to nuture innovators
University, I had visited violin workshops and spoken to violin makers and and leaders of tomorrow. NUS
repairers. This broadened my horizons and fuelled my passion in this area.” is committed to advancing
After graduation, Ming Xi set up AmberCraft Violins where, as a luthier, he knowledge, nurturing talent and
makes and repairs violins. He continues to tap on the engineering knowledge promoting innovation
picked up at university, which taught him to solve problems in a structured manner,
at all levels in society.
and helped him succeed in his chosen career as an entrepreneur and a luthier.
“I am intrigued by the relationship between how a violin is made and the sound The university stands out
it produces. Being a violin repairer allows me to combine my musical abilities and my in its holistic development of
strong foundation in engineering fundamentals attained at NUS,” he says. graduates because it offers space,
Meanwhile, Ming Xi contributes to NUS by helping to maintain and manage opportunities and challenges to its
the loan of violins to aspiring musicians from the University’s Yong Siew Toh students to discover their talents,
Conservatory of Music. pursue their passions and realise
He says: “My dream is for AmberCraft Violins to become the centre for their potential.
restoration work in the region. NUS helped inculcate the global mindset in me
and I believe that going global will benefit a niche business like ours.”