Scholars’ Stories


Giving has multiple benefits for both donors and recipients. Thanks to our alumni and donor community, our deserving students are able to complete their studies, achieve their dreams and bring with them the LKY School spirit wherever they go. We hope that the stories here demonstrate the power of philanthropy and inspires you to take the first step in helping us make a difference to the world today.

  • Kwok Ka Ming, Andre (Hong Kong SAR)
    Kwok Ka Ming, Andre (Hong Kong SAR)

    Li Ka Shing Foundation Scholarship (MPP 2019/2021)

    "The unique opportunity offered by the Li Ka Shing Foundation Scholarship has enabled me to embrace and reaffirmed the spirit of social entrepreneurship within me to want to create an impact and contribute back to society.

    The LKY School is a melting pot of distinguished academia, policymakers, and students from the world over. With such a vast and diversified network and culture, as well as an interdisciplinary curriculum, I am better equipped to be a future leader and contribute more to my home country, Hong Kong, and be a bridge to Asia and the rest of the world. This would not have been made possible without the support from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, and for this, I am grateful.”

  • IuliiaZemlytska (Ukraine)
    Iuliia Zemlytska (Ukraine)

    Lee Foundation Scholarship (MPP 2016/2018)

    "My years at the LKYSPP and living in Singapore has been a journey of discovery in so many ways.

    Foremost, it was a discovery of Asia and embracing the diversity of this region. Secondly, it was an intellectual discovery where I learned new concepts and was immersed in the world of public policy. Lastly, it has been a journey of self-discovery where I was given a chance to learn more about my passions and interests and how best to sharpen my skills to have more impact in this world. All these could not have been made possible without the generous support of the Lee Foundation."

  • Maria Isabel La’o Hernado (Philippines)
    Maria Isabel La’o Hernado (Philippines)

    Li Ka Shing Foundation Scholarship (MPP 2016/2018)

    “For a country like the Philippines, there is a constant struggle to develop and innovate domestically, while there is pressure to perform outside as countries in Asia try to seamlessly integrate.

    To do this, we need a new breed of public servants and development workers with international exposure and local know-how. The scholarship allows me to be part of this future, and I am honoured to have benefited from the academic excellence of the faculty, the diversity of my peers, and the great learning environment here at LKYSPP. More importantly, I have grown and matured in my character and in the way I think and look at things. I am truly grateful to my gracious donor, Dr Li Ka-shing, for this amazing and life-changing experience.”

  • Carlos Eduardo Scull Raygada (Venezuela)
    Carlos Eduardo Scull Raygada (Venezuela)

    Lee Foundation Scholarship (MPP 2015/2017)

    “In Venezuela, we see Asia as a distant land which we know very little about. I would never have imagined that I would be given the chance to study in Asia.

    Upon arrival, I discovered a whole new world. I am amazed by Singapore’s achievements in such a short history. Singapore is truly an example to other nations. At LKYSPP, each day was a new learning experience that inspired me to constantly think of ideas which can be implemented in my country in the next few years.”

  • Aphilom Vanthanouvong (Laos)
    Aphilom Vanthanouvong (Laos)

    Chang Yung-fa Scholarship (MPP 2014/2016)

    “I appreciate the opportunity to study in this highly respected academic institution. Without this scholarship, I would not have been able to finance my studies at LKYSPP.

    I feel honoured and privileged to be granted this scholarship. It is a precious opportunity to study abroad and experience student life in Singapore.”

  • Mrijan Rimal (Nepal)
    Mrijan Rimal (Nepal)

    Lee Foundation Scholarship (MPP 2014/2016)

    “My career goal is to become a policymaker who can bring about change, and I am particularly interested in the areas of education and climate.

    LKYSPP has reaffirmed my desire to become a policymaker and make a difference in people’s lives.”

  • Dayang Balkis Binti Md. Ramli (Malaysia)
    Dayang Balkis Binti Md. Ramli (Malaysia)

    Li Ka Shing Foundation Scholarship (MPP 2011/2013)

    “I chose to enrol in this programme to enrich my knowledge and to contribute back to my country and the region.

    I purposefully chose the LKY School because of the reputation of the school and the diversity of the classroom environment where I can learn from classmates from all over the world. Without the scholarship, my dream would never come true.”

  • Jiang Zhicong (China)
    Jiang Zhicong (China)

    OCBC International Master in Public Policy Scholarship (MPP 2011/2013)

    “The OCBC scholarship gave me the opportunity to study at the Lee Kuan Yew School, which is one of the best public policy schools in Asia.

    I have increased my knowledge about other Asian countries … [and] broadened my view towards the world.”

  • Olivia Husli Basrin (Indonesia)
    Olivia Husli Basrin (Indonesia)

    Mochtar Riady Scholarship (MPP 2011/2013)

    “The scholarship has provided me with a rare opportunity to study public policy in an international setting at one of the best universities in the world.

    I was able to expand my career network that will really benefit me in the future.”

  • Carlos C. Sengu (Zimbabwe)
    Carlos C. Sengu (Zimbabwe)

    The Olam International MA Scholarship (MPA 2017/2018)

    “It is an axiom of life that ‘of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.’

    I had a dream to invest further in my intellectual capital by studying abroad and Olam, through the scholarship has made my dream come true. Olam opened the doors that gave me the privilege to travel to Singapore and study at one of the best universities in the world, coupled with the opportunity to reside in one of the most liveable and sustainable nations on planet. My sojourn in the ‘Lion City’ enhanced my cultural literacy and also gave me the platform to learn the specialised skills, cultivate informed perspectives, and nurture the nuanced understanding that I need to be an even more effective leader in solving public policy problems.”

  • Thevaraparambil Anwar Ali (India)
    Thevaraparambil Anwar Ali (India)

    Spice Global Scholarship (MPA 2016/2017)

    “My studies and area of work have always been confined to India and having received this scholarship to pursue the MPA programme at the LKYSPP has fulfilled my dream of studying abroad.

    It has given me international exposure and my interaction and learning from students and faculty from various countries across the world has enriched me with both theoretical and practical knowledge. For this, I am indebted and grateful to the generous support of m y donor for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. My studies at Asia’s best and one of the top institutions in the world will definitely help me go a long way throughout my career in civil service.”

  • Zhang Leilei (China)
    Zhang Leilei (China)

    Li Ka Shing Foundation Scholarship (MPA 2015/2016)

    “I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my gracious donor, Dr Li Ka-shing, whose generosity enabled me to broaden my knowledge, hone my skills, and enrich my life.

    It has been a great learning journey. I have spent 10 years with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China, and the last two years working with China’s leading aluminium producer, CHALCO, and China’s biggest bank, ICBC Head Office in Beijing. I hope to contribute to improving governance in China.”

  • Axulu Kushanova (Kazakhstan)
    Axulu Kushanova (Kazakhstan)

    Chang Yung-fa Scholarship (MPA 2012/2013)

    “I daresay that the scholarship literally changed my life. Being able to join the LKY School was a turning point in my life.

    It has impacted me in my way of thinking, my behaviour, and values. I discovered not only a new country, but this whole experience revealed to me who I really am.”

  • Nitin Jain (India)
    Nitin Jain (India)

    Spice Global Scholarship (MPA 2012/13)

    “The Spice Global Scholarship has been the best thing that happened in my life. I have always had the aspiration of studying outside India at a world-class institution.

    Through this generous scholarship, this dream has been fulfilled. I learnt things that I always wanted to, interacting with great minds that have broadened my horizons immensely and acquiring a new way of looking at and understanding policy challenges.”

  • Francesco Brusaporco (Italy)
    Francesco Brusaporco (Italy)

    Stamford Land Scholarship (MIA 2018/2020)

    “When I was choosing to pursue my masters, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) was at the top of my list, but I simply could not afford it.

    Stamford Land supported my studies and enabled me to choose what is best for myself. During my two years at the LKY School, I have worked together with people from different countries and diverse backgrounds to create a truly global perspective on international affairs. I have done an internship in China, an exchange programme in Kazakhstan, and Singapore is now my 'second home'.”

  • Ian Russell Koh Tze Ming (Singapore)
    Ian Russell Koh Tze Ming (Singapore)

    Li Ka Shing Foundation Scholarship (MIA 2017/2019)

    “As a result of this scholarship, I emerge from my tertiary education with a Master’s degree from the best university in Asia without being hobbled by a mountain of student debt.

    This would have been unlikely if not impossible, had it not been for this exceedingly generous provision. I am thankfully indebted to the Li Ka Shing Foundation with copious amounts of gratitude and appreciation. The MIA programme has further sharpened my intellectual faculties and has imbued my sociological worldview(s) with a complementary internationalist flavour. With these added skills and credentials, I am certainly better placed to make more informed analyses and decisions which will hopefully be useful for the future.”

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Faculty’s Stories

Our faculty and professors are world-renowned leaders in multidisciplinary thinking and policy engagement. Help them guide future policy makers and find solutions to complex public policy and governance issues by funding their professorships and research projects.

The Li Ka Shing endowed professorship has been a key enabler for my research on inequality and social mobility, and on great power competition and the new economic world order. The professorship has allowed me the space to rethink inequality as the critical social challenge, a narrative on which so much conventional wisdom has settled, or whether instead that narrative hides yet deeper problems and has been inappropriately identified in public conversation, and social and traditional media. At the same time, the world is undergoing a profound shift in the international system, shifting from the liberal, rules-based form it has taken for nearly a century: The professorship has given me unique opportunity to rethink the principles on which the international community has built our world order. As recipient of this professorship, I am privileged indeed to lead the work at the Lee Kuan Yew School drawing parallels between global issues and the local context in Singapore and ASEAN, that we might better navigate the challenges that lie ahead.
Professor Danny Quah

Professor Danny Quah
Dean and Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics

Although I grew up in Southeast Asia, I have spent much of my career as a political scientist in the U.S. and the U.K. I have always been interested in U.S. foreign policy (what I taught at Harvard and Oxford), the international relations of Asia, and cognitive approaches to social science. As the LKS Professor in Political Science at the LKY School, I am able to do more in-depth research in these areas, particularly the role of the U.S. in Asia, the rise of China and the responses of the Southeast Asian countries, while observing and trying to understand the tremendous economic and power shifts that are taking place right before our eyes. In the midst of the current global coronavirus pandemic, we have seen how the souring relations between the U.S and China have been aggravated further. This pandemic could not have come at a worse time for US-China relations: the mixture of geopolitical competition, trade frictions, and the ensuing blame game stemming from the global pandemic will undoubtedly pose serious challenges to the security and prosperity of Asia and beyond.
Professor Khong Yuen Foong

Professor Khong Yuen Foong
Li Ka Shing Professor in Political Science

One of the reasons I study public policy is that we can make a difference by offering innovative ideas to policy makers and governments at different levels in their efforts to address specified problems. Nowhere is this more important that when it comes to the environment.

I am honoured to be selected for this prestigious LKS Professorship, which is allowing me to me to engage in systematic conceptual and empirical research aimed at generating insights for developing, and managing, problem-oriented “anticipatory policy design” exercises. I am especially interested in uncovering “easy to pull, but hard to reverse” policy levers that are capable of addressing the climate and biodiversity crises. I am also excited about my current work that has expanded to assess the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research has already uncovered four different moral philosophies that help explain differences in country level approaches to COVID-19 management. More recently we have expanded our analysis to assess how our work on climate policy might help identify techniques for managing COVID-19 as a “super wicked” problem.
Professor Benjamin William Cashore

Professor Benjamin William Cashore
Director of Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) and Li Ka Shing Professor in Public Management

I have a deep interest in India and its foreign relations and security. My aim is to understand what drives Indian policies, to assess the effectiveness of its policies, and to trace the consequences for other countries. My larger interest is the security of Asia and India’s role in the region’s wellbeing. I am particularly interested in India-China relations. As the two biggest countries in Asia, they will have a profound impact on peace and stability. A third focus for me is how Asians think about war and peace, regional and global order, and strategy – in other words, Asia’s international and strategic thought. Given my long-standing interests in Asia, I am honoured to be the Wilmar Professor of Asian Studies. This endowed professorship has helped reflect on my research priorities and bring clarity to future research endeavours. It is my hope that my contributions will underscore the importance of Singapore and NUS’ scholarship in Asian studies.
Professor Kanti Prasad Bajpai

Professor Kanti Prasad Bajpai
Vice Dean (Research and Development) and Wilmar Professor in Asian Studies

I am deeply honoured to be conferred the Yong Pung How Professorship. The Yong Pung How Professorship will help raise the profile of the school as well as my own work in the broad fields of international macroeconomics and development.

Of particular research interest is the question of how several open economies in Asia including Singapore are able to navigate the macroeconomic and financial policy complexities arising from a world characterised by significant economic and geopolitical disruptions such as the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-09 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

My research to date has largely focused on understanding the interactions between international capital flows, exchange rate regimes, financial sector development, and macroeconomic and financial stability. While my research has largely had a pan-Asian focus including Singapore, as Yong Pung How Professor, I expect to dedicate even more time researching and teaching issues pertaining to Singapore, in particular, the constant evolution of the country’s policy toolkit in maintaining macroeconomic and financial stability over time. Some illustrations of areas of growing interest among LKYSPP students include Singapore’s eclectic and pragmatic approach to financial globalisation, as well as its innovative use of instruments such as Macroprudential policies to handle concerns about financial stability.

This endowed professorship is highly meaningful because it provides me a timely opportunity to expand my research frontier further to focus specifically on the macroeconomic and financial policy challenges confronting Singapore, especially in light of the rapidly transforming financial and trade landscape in the region, including those arising from the fallout of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I am particularly pleased that this professorship will also support my engagement in policy outreach and deliberations on some critical research questions in the international finance and development space.
Professor Ramkishen Sundara Rajan

Professor Ramkishen Sundara Rajan
Yong Pung How Professor

Benefactors’ Stories



In acknowledgment of the importance of philanthropy, your funds enabled the school to recruit world-class faculty, advanced many research projects; and they make it possible for many students who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford the cost of an education at a leading public policy institution.

Generosity doesn't always point to the largest sum.

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