• Inaugural scholars selected for scholarship programme commemorating 50 years of Singapore diplomatic ties with the United States
• Singapore and US officially award recipients for summer 2017
• Two SMU students headed to University of Virginia (UVa), and two UVa students to be hosted by SMU

Singapore Management University (SMU) will be partnering with the University of Virginia (UVa) in the summer of 2017 for the first exchange of the US-Singapore Summer Exchange Scholarship Programme. The programme commemorates the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and the United States in 2016, and was announced during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Official Visit to the United States from 31 July to 3 August 2016.

Two SMU students have been selected for the inaugural scholarship awards, and will be heading to the University of Virginia (UVa) in the summer of 2017.  SMU will also host two UVa student scholars selected for the exchange concurrently.

On 30 May, SMU undergraduates Megan Foo Kai Xin (Year 3) and Samuel Yap Tai Ern (Year 2) attended an official reception hosted by U.S. Embassy Singapore and Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). They met Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath, Chargé d'Affaires, ad interim, U.S. Embassy Singapore and Dr Maliki Osman, Senior Minister of State, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence. The SMU students were joined by their parents and Professor Ong Siow Heng, Dean of Students, and Dean-designate of International Affairs, SMU, as well as SMU International Office (IO) staff.

[Photo: SMU undergraduates Megan Foo Kai Xin (second row, middle) and Samuel Yap Tai Ern (extreme left), pictured at the Singapore reception with (front row, centre two) Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath, Chargé d'Affaires, ad interim, U.S. Embassy Singapore and Dr Maliki Osman, Senior Minister of State, Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence.] 

Both SMU awardees are from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business. Megan Foo Kai Xin is President of SMU Travitas Club and was an Exco member of the SMU Stereometa, Disk Jockey and Digital Music Creation (DJ & DMC) Club. She completed 250 hours of community service for a project in Kenya, and another 45 hours of local community service. She also designed an email sponsorship proposal which procured four local sponsors contributing to a total of S$10,000 raised.

Samuel is in the FOREX sub-committee of the EYE Investment Club, SMU's largest investment club. He represented SMU in floorball in the latest Singapore University Games (SUNIG) and Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Games. He also served 118 hours of community service in a project in Vietnam. Both students served beyond the 80-hour community service requirement by SMU.

In Washington DC, a similar reception was held for the American student awardees on 4 June. UVa students Catherine Mary Susan Salamone (Year 3) and John Marcelo Pace (Year 2), who will be coming to SMU, were hosted by the Singapore Embassy in Washington DC, US. Present at the event was Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, and Singapore Ambassador to US Ashok Mirpuri. The students also met SMU staff led by Matthew Lee, Director of IO, SMU.

[Photo: UVa students (second row, first and second from left) Catherine Mary Susan Salamone and John Marcelo Pace, who will be coming to SMU, were hosted by the Singapore Embassy in Washington DC, US. Present at the event were Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (second row, third from right) and US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia Patrick Murphy, as well as SMU’s Matthew Lee, Director of IO (extreme left), and Sath Muthiah, Senior Manager of IO (front row, third from left).]

Catherine majors in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and Information Technology. She is Senior Analyst of Financial Institutions Industry for Smart Woman Securities, leading a group of five research analysts in developing their knowledge and analysis of the Financial Institutions Industry, and researches companies to locate undervalued stocks and enhance a US$22,000 portfolio. She is also Analyst for the McIntire Investment Institute, and collaborates in groups developing and pitching investment ideas to grow a US$700,000 portfolio. Catherine volunteers at a local animal shelter.

[Photo: Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (centre) with the two UVa awardees Catherine Mary Susan Salamone and John Marcelo Pace who will be coming to SMU.]

John is majoring in Finance & Marketing. He is a member of the top five nationally-ranked cross country, indoor, and outdoor track programmes, and has represented UVa in competitions; he is also member of Athletes Committed to Education (ACE), serving as a positive role model and mentor during weekly volunteering at an elementary school. He also serves on the competitive council of 2nd and 3rd Year students, involved in deciding how to best reach the class of 2019 by allocating US$50,000 annual budget towards student organisations and events; as well as a member of the Marketing Committee of the council and a member of the Bicentennial Committee for class council.

Students were assessed based on academic performance, co-curricular records, community involvement, and an essay response. Singapore applications were open to full-time undergraduates from SMU, as well as National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and Singapore University of Technology and Design, who are Singapore citizens.

The scholarship programme aims to strengthen the excellent relations between Singapore and the United States by deepening people-to-people ties.  The scholarship programme will promote greater interaction and mutual understanding between the next generation of Singaporeans and Americans, by allowing recipients to attend a university summer exchange programme in each other’s countries. 

The bond-free scholarship programme managed by MFA is jointly funded by the Singapore Government and American companies and organisations, namely Applied Materials, Becton Dickinson, Mastercard and Micron Foundation.  Over the course of five years, a total of 50 Singapore and 50 American recipients will receive the scholarship, which will provide funding support for recipients to attend a university summer exchange programme in each other’s countries.  Each scholarship recipient will receive funding support up to S$10,000, which covers tuition/programme fees, accommodation, airfare and a subsistence allowance.

UVa, founded in 1819, is located in Virginia, on the eastern coast of USA bordering Washington DC. It is ranked the no. 2 best public university by U.S. News & World Report. It has 12 schools and nearly 22,000 students.

For more information about the US-Singapore Summer Exchange Scholarship Programme, please visit the Singapore MFA website.

For more information about the UVa, please visit their website.

[Featured Photo: SMU and UVa students were among the scholarship recipients hosted at receptions held jointly by the governments and embassies in both Singapore (left) and the United States (right).]

[Images and information credits: Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U.S. Embassy Singapore, and Singapore Embassy in Washington DC, US.]