One gift, 10 years of impact

Ten years ago, alumnus Randy Ang (CCDS/2007) made a decision to donate S$100,000 to his alma mater, NTU.

The choice to give away 30 per cent of his annual income then drew mixed reactions from his friends.

“Some were surprised that I would give away so much money,” said the former insurance agent, 43, who is now General Manager at Metropolis Security Systems.

“Someone said, ‘You could have just saved (the money) or invested it to get dividends and returns’,” he recalled. But Randy, who had reached a point in his life where he felt financially stable and had excess savings, had a different train of thought. “What was stopping me from giving it away? If S$100,000 can help many more people, then it is worth it compared to just making myself feel better.”

That was how the Randy Ang Bursary was born. Since 2017, it has benefitted 18 financially needy Singaporean undergraduates pursuing an NTU degree in Computer Engineering by helping them cover a portion of their tuition fees, depending on their financial circumstances.

Randy (seated, centre) meeting some of the bursary recipients over lunch in December 2025.

It is his way of giving back to NTU, which he credits as a “strong turning point” in his life. Not only did he earn his degree in Computer Engineering there, but he even found time to start an IT business, which he still runs today as a passion project.

“It was through NTU that I had one of my best educational experiences, made lasting friendships, and learnt so much about being an entrepreneur,” he said.

Randy (left) with his project teammate and professor at his graduation ceremony in 2007.

Education: A key that opens doors

Growing up, Randy was deeply aware of the fact that education had the power to open doors, or close them. He had a front row seat as his father, who works as a soil specialist in a construction company, struggled to move up the ranks due to his limited qualifications.

“My father is only an A-level certificate holder. My grandparents could not afford to send him to university, although he achieved good grades and was offered a place,” said Randy, adding that this effectively “cut off” his potential for career progression.

What his father lacked in educational qualifications, he made up for by gaining technical expertise. His experience turned him into a fierce advocate for education, particularly when it came to Randy and his two sisters.

With his encouragement, Randy took a loan to fund his way through university after earning a diploma in telecommunications from Temasek Polytechnic. He made the most of it, signing up for a minor in entrepreneurship on top of majoring in computer engineering.

It inspired him to start a programming company called RANZ Ventures while he was still schooling. “I started to think like an entrepreneur,” said Randy. “I took calculated risks, being adventurous instead of afraid of making the wrong choices.”

Over time, he accumulated a reservoir of experiences, from running a business and networking to making friends and even interning overseas. It set him up for the rest of his career, which includes not one but two successful pivots. First from software engineering to insurance, and later to the security field.

Nothing is too small to give

A decade after donating, Randy still makes the effort to meet the bursary’s beneficiaries. One of them is Justin Tan, a second-year NTU Computer Engineering student who received the bursary in Academic Year 2025.

Since participating in a secondary school cybersecurity competition, Justin has been hooked on the rush of solving puzzles and outsmarting computer systems. “I aspire to become an expert in this field to protect critical systems from cyber threats…in the future, my goal is to be a malware analyst,” he said.

Justin is amongst the recipients of the Randy Ang Bursary.

That dream was jeopardised when Justin’s father, a delivery driver in the food and beverage industry, retired in 2023. This raised the question of who would pay Justin’s tuition fees. “My dad initially wanted to use his CPF money,” said Justin. But he was determined not to dip into his father’s retirement savings.

Receiving the Randy Ang Bursary took a huge weight off his shoulders. “It allowed me to focus more on my studies and my hobbies, since I do not need to work part-time while studying,” said Justin.

Speaking of his interactions with the students, Randy said: “Every moment touches me and only reaffirms my decision 10 years ago. Philanthropy is a big word. Put simply, it is not reserved only for the wealthy or successful. Nothing is too small. A simple gesture of giving is all it takes to make a huge impact.”