Paying it forward with the Class of 2026

Text: Vivien Yap | Photos: Lewis Tang, Lu Pinyao, Muhammad Syafiq Bin Haniss, Sean Ho, NTU Singapore

Lewis Tang, School of Art, Design and Media (ADM)

Raised in a single-income family, Lewis knew university was an opportunity he could not afford to waste. Before his first semester at NTU began, he had already set three goals for himself: complete three internships across the industry, win a major design award, and build his own business.      

Four years later, he has achieved all three goals and graduated as valedictorian of his school. 

To support himself through his undergraduate years, Lewis took on part-time work under NTU's Work Study Scheme, applied for bursaries and scholarships, and served as Vice President of ADM's student club. He interned at fashion and advertising companies, learning the ropes in industries he was passionate about. By his final year, he and his coursemates had founded PRINTCENTRE, a design collective creating work for underrepresented local communities. 

In 2025, PRINTCENTRE won the D&AD New Blood Award. With support from ADM, the team flew to London for the award ceremony. The collective is currently slated to be part of Garage@ADM, the school's incubation programme, and Lewis intends to grow PRINTCENTRE into a full business.  

(From left) Lewis and his coursemates, Adrielle De Silva and Thierry Ting, in London for the award ceremony

The achievements I pursued were never just for my personal success. I saw them as a means of becoming more established, to eventually provide for my family, and to advocate for the causes I care about.

Lu Pinyao, School of Humanities

While most of Pinyao’s peers chose to study science and engineering, her passion in Chinese language and culture led her to major in Chinese at NTU – a choice she has not looked back on.  

Through her time at NTU, Pinyao’s interest in Chinese deepened, giving her a more nuanced appreciation of the culture. A module on global economics also inspired her. Watching a lecturer update his syllabus lesson by lesson to keep pace with world events, Pinyao realised she wanted to work at the intersection of language and international affairs. She has since secured a place in a master's programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and aspires to work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.   

Pinyao at the LiangZhu Forum International Writers Dialogue in 2024, during her student exchange at Zhejiang University

Getting there took more than academic effort. Pinyao's mother raised her largely on her own, taking multiple part-time jobs to cover university fees. When a relative mentioned that schools typically offered financial aid, Pinyao applied without much expectation. 

"I wasn't sure if I could get it," she says. "I was just hoping to ease a bit of my mother’s financial burden.” Pinyao would eventually receive financial aid from the NTU Bursary Fund and the Nassar Saddique Bursary as an undergraduate.  

As a beneficiary of the bursary set up by the late Nassar Saddique's estate, receiving support from a donor she would never meet left a lasting impression on her. 

I am so grateful for his help. It has become one of my dreams to eventually help pay for a student's education one day.

     

Pinyao is already putting her dreams in motion. She is one of the over 3,000 fresh graduates who have contributed to this year’s Class Gift. Her donation is a full circle moment and represents a collective effort from the Class of 2026 to help the next generation of NTU students achieve their dreams.

Pinyao presenting the cheque for the Class of 2026's Class Gift to NTU President Professor Ho Teck Hua

Muhammad Syafiq Bin Haniss, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 

Syafiq spent his undergraduate years building a track record of showing up for people and helping those less fortunate than him. 

His first foray into social good came as President of the Runners Club where he led the organisation of the X-Campus Run for Best Foot Forward, NTU's annual virtual fundraising campaign, which raised more than S$180,000 for student bursaries in 2024.  

The following year, as Programmes Head for YusRevamp, he coordinated efforts by 90 student volunteers from NTU Muslim Society over two days to clean, repaint and restore nine public rental flats for low-income residents in Bukit Merah and Telok Blangah. 

Syafiq (last row, third from left) with the YusRevamp team in 2025. The large-scale refurbishment initiative was reported in Berita Harian

Syafiq carried the same passion into his academic work. In the Engineering, Innovation and Design module, his team developed a GPS-enabled walking cane prototype designed to help elderly and disabled users navigate independently.

Syafiq (second row, third from right) and his teammates’ walking cane impressed industry judges, who awarded the project first place in the lifestyle category amongst other student projects created through the module

Syafiq now joins People's Association as a Constituency Manager, where community work is no longer a co-curricular activity but the job itself. As a regular student donor to NTU, he firmly believes in the power of collective good. 

You and I may donate a little and think we can't do a lot. But when everyone does it together, it becomes something more and could help someone in more ways than we think.

Sean Ho Yu Yang, Nanyang Business School 

When Sean’s mother lost her job during the COVID-19 pandemic, his university education looked uncertain. To fund his own education, Sean took on multiple jobs - repairing bicycles, working as a promoter at a supermarket and waiting tables. When NTU offered him a School Scholarship*, it changed his trajectory entirely. 

"Everything I have achieved since then stems from the fact that NTU took a chance on me first," he says. 

Empowered by this opportunity, Sean worked hard academically while staying active in student life. He did well in his first semester at NTU and received the Columbia “Nissi” Scholarship, established by NTU alumni who wanted to open the same doors for future students that had once been opened for them. The scholarship relieved him from having to split his time between work and study as well as made his overseas exchange at ESSEC Business School in Paris possible. 

Back on campus, Sean was dedicated to paying it forward. As a student mentor at Nanyang Capital, he guided 15 students across four semesters in equity valuation and stock-pitching.

Sean (second from right) and his teammates from Nanyang Capital emerged 3rd place in the 2024 APECS Private Equity Case Competition, widely regarded as one of Asia Pacific's leading student-run finance competitions.

Today, he volunteers at All Saints Home as an elderly befriender and teaches Mathematics and Science at the SG Cares Centre homework café weekly.

Sean (second from left) and a fellow volunteer taking the elderly from All Saints Home out for lunch

At this year's Convocation, Sean will receive the Koh Boon Hwee Scholars Award, given to graduating students who demonstrate exceptional leadership and potential to contribute to society. He will start his career as an analyst at a global financial institution. As he starts his professional career, Sean remains committed to giving back by supporting students through alumni initiatives and as an industry mentor. 

Giving back is a privilege. I hope to provide others with the same support that I had been incredibly fortunate to receive.

Support the next generation at NTU

Donors, including alumni, sustain NTU's financial aid. It's the same aid that carried Lewis, Pinyao, Syafiq and Sean through NTU.  

Ready to open a door for someone like them? 

Give to support NTU students here.  

*As of 2025, NTU’s School Scholarship is no longer receiving applications.