PhD in Cognitive Psychology at Yale

Joan Danielle Ongchoco (Class of 2017) majored in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, with a minor in Psychology, before going on to study for a PhD in Cognitive Psychology at Yale University. She decided to go to Yale as she felt she was part of the Yale, NUS and Yale-NUS College community.

Master of Arts in Religion at Yale

Literature major Carmen Denia (Class of 2017) studied for a Master of Arts in Religion, with a concentration in Religion and the Arts (Literature), at Yale University. While there, she met up with some former Yale-NUS faculty who had returned to Yale, including inaugural Yale-NUS President Professor Pericles Lewis and inaugural Dean of Faculty Professor Charles Bailyn.

PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Dartmouth

Nawat Bunnag (Class of 2019) pursued a doctorate in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the American Ivy League research university Dartmouth College. He commented that the training he received at Yale-NUS “is the only reason why I am remotely prepared for graduate school”.

Justices’ Law Clerk programme, Supreme Court of Singapore

Not all further studies took place in universities, as demonstrated by Double Degree Programme in Law and Liberal Arts graduates Chong Ren Jie (Class of 2020) and Jasmine Goh (Class of 2021). They both won places on the prestigious Justices’ Law Clerk programme, a two-year legal training programme based at Singapore’s Supreme Court.

PhD in early modern Malay history

After graduating from Yale-NUS, History major Faris Joraimi (Class of 2021) headed to New York University to undertake a PhD in early modern Malay history. Faris gained his first experience of working with archives and rare collections through a Dean’s Research Fellowship while at Yale-NUS.

PhD at the Ecological Adaptation Lab, NUS

As a PhD student at the Ecological Adaptation Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences at NUS, Ho Ning (Class of 2023) studied the anthropogenic causes that affect wildlife in Singapore. Her interest in research was sparked by the hands-on experience she received during in a Yale-NUS Summer Research Programme.

Schwarzman Scholar

Mollie Saltskog (Class of 2017) was the first Yale-NUS graduate to enter the prestigious Schwarzman Scholar programme, a highly competitive one-year master’s degree programme at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Schwarzman Scholar

The second of the College’s graduates to be admitted as Schwarzman Scholar was Daniel Ng (Class of 2019). Participants in the programme studied leadership and global affairs, with an emphasis on China’s role in the world.

Schwarzman Scholar

Third Schwarzman Scholar, Ryan Kueh (Class of 2023), was able to immerse himself in Chinese culture, travelling the region and developing a better understanding of China in the 21st century.

Schwarzman Scholar

One of three Yale-NUS students to be selected as 2024 Schwarzman Scholars, Rachel Juay (Class of 2020) graduated from the Concurrent Degree Programme Yale-NUS offered with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

She noted that her “passion for public policy spawned from my participation in the Summer Research Programme in 2019 with then Yale-NUS Assistant Professor Valentina Zuin. My work with Assistant Professor Zuin where we worked to improve water and sanitation processes in rural Cambodia, and my experiences leading the Yale-NUS Student Government, have fuelled my belief that effective policy processes can make a marked difference in lives across all contexts.”

During her time at Tsinghua University, she aimed to learn how China managed high costs of living, knowledge she could then apply to her community engagement efforts in Singapore.

Schwarzman Scholar

Lucy Zhu Xinyu (Class of 2022) was one of three Yale-NUS students to be awarded a Schwarzman scholarship in 2024. While at Yale-NUS, the Mathematical, Computational and Statistical Sciences major was part of the team which won the case study challenge in the 2020 Morgan Stanley Singapore Mentorship Program (Investment Banking Division). She also worked at Morgan Stanley as an investment banking analyst before heading to China to undertake her master’s.

Schwarzman Scholar

Htet Myet Min Tun (Class of 2024) was one of three Yale-NUS students to be awarded a Schwarzman scholarship in 2024. Prompted by political turmoil in his home country of Myanmar, he became interested in ethnic conflicts, state violence and authoritarian regimes in the developing world.

On his time at Yale-NUS, he commented “Four years at Yale-NUS have shaped me in many ways both as a person and a scholar. The education I have received has prepared me not to take what we see as they are, but to ask questions, think critically, and articulate my own thoughts.”

Yan went on to forge a successful writing career, with his debut novel, catskull, winning the Best Literary Work and Book of the Year categories at the 2024 Singapore Book Awards.

Rhodes Scholar

Three of the College’s graduates received Rhodes Scholarships, enabling them to study for their post-graduate degrees at the University of Oxford. The first, Nicholas Carverhill (Class of 2017), chose to take his masters in Development Studies.

Rhodes Scholar

The Rhodes Scholarship enabled the College’s second recipient, Nur Hazeem Bin Abdul Nasser (Class of 2022), to study Public Policy 1+1 at Oxford, with the aim of pursuing a career in the civil service. He commented that he was “forever grateful for the experience I’ve had at Yale-NUS and without which, I would not have been able to obtain this prestigious honour”.

Rhodes Scholar

The College’s third Rhodes Scholar, Environmental Studies major Max Han (Class of 2024), chose to continue his passion for the environment at Oxford by pursuing a MSc in Environment Change and Management.

Yenching Scholar

Helena Auerswald (Class of 2019) became the College’s first Yenching Scholar when she was admitted to the two-year interdisciplinary master’s degree in China Studies. Based at the Yenching Academy of Peking University, the programme focused on contemporary Chinese society and culture, with an emphasis on developing future global leaders.

Yenching Scholar

Second Yale-NUS Yenching Scholar, Ann Chen (Class of 2021), was encouraged to apply to the programme by her Centre for International and Professional Experience (CIPE) advisor. She commented that “Yenching offers an interdisciplinary programme that connects scholars from around the world, so in a way, it reminded me of Yale-NUS”.

Yenching Scholar

Tan Hong Kai (Class of 2022) was the College’s third Yenching Scholar. Only about 120 students were awarded the scholarship each year, with a 2% acceptance rate, demonstrating the excellence of all three of the College’s successful applicants.

Fulbright Singapore Student

The Fulbright Singapore Student Program, a one-year grant for graduate study in the United States, enabled Feroz Khan (Class of 2018) to pursue a Master of Science in Disaster Resilience Leadership at Tulane University in New Orleans. On his time at the College, he noted that “Yale-NUS kindled and nurtured my passion for environmental justice and modelled what a supportive, loving community can do to inspire change”.

Fulbright Singapore Student

Second recipient of the Fulbright Singapore Student Program, Daryl Yang Wei Jian (Class of 2019), chose to study for a Master of Laws at Berkeley Law, specialising in public interest and social justice. On average, only two students from Singapore received the Fulbright award each year, making Daryl’s achievement all the more remarkable.

Knight-Hennessy Scholar

When Liam Rahman (Class of 2017) was selected to be a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, he received full funding to study for a master’s degree at Stanford University. In addition to his degree, the scholarship offered leadership development programmes, study trips and interaction with mentors from business, government and non-profits.

Knight-Hennessy Scholar

Jiang Haolie (Class of 2021) was the second Yale-NUS graduate to be selected to be a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. The scholarship enabled the Global Affairs major to embark on a two-year Master’s in International Policy (MIP) at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI) for International Studies.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars are selected based on their demonstration of independence of thought, purposeful leadership and a civic mindset.

Knight-Hennessy Scholar

In 2024, Stanley Tan (Class of 2024) was awarded a Quad Fellowship to pursue for his PhD at Yale University and the New York Botanical Garden, where he also held the Lewis B. Cullman Fellowship.

The Quad Fellowship funds outstanding master's and doctoral students to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the United States.

Thriving in the global workforce

Valerie Pang (Class of 2017) was one of the graduates who sought employment overseas, something she felt was made easier by her exposure to the College’s international environment. Working for a blockchain company in California, she felt that “The fact that I had many international classmates and friends helped me be comfortable interacting with many different people, so it was easy for me to acclimatise to the US”.

Contributing to Singapore's workforce

Some of the College’s international students decided to stay in Singapore after graduation. Jolanda Nava (Class of 2017) found work as a software engineer at a local start-up. She felt that her education had prepared her well for the fast-paced environment, noting that “I am able to learn quickly, to have the curiosity to ask new questions, and to not fear taking the initiative to make something happen if I see that is needed”.

Teaching at a local school

In his work as a teacher at a local Singaporean school, Seow Yongzhi (Class of 2018) was influenced by his classes at Yale-NUS, commenting that “Our spirited debates of yesteryear have solidified my belief that good learning is facilitated through fruitful discussions, which I nowadays consciously create space and time for in my lessons”.

Impacting environmental causes

As an Environmental Studies major and Vice President of I'dECO (the Yale-NUS Sustainability Movement), Kimberly Hoong (Class of 2018) was well qualified to join Edible Garden City, a social enterprise promoting urban farming and the grow-your-own-food movement.

Working on the frontlines during a pandemic

After graduating, Timothy Goh (Class of 2018) joined Singapore’s most widely-circulated newspaper, The Straits Times. He credited the Yale-NUS curriculum for preparing him for a career in journalism, stating that “The multidisciplinary curriculum has allowed me to be more comfortable and confident in various fields other than my own, which is very important as a reporter when you’re interviewing a person who may be more knowledgeable than you in their special field”.

Tackling complex problems and finding business solutions

Izzah Haziqah’s (Class of 2020) role at an international management consulting firm involved finding solutions to clients’ business issues. “In many ways, my current career mirrors my education experience at Yale-NUS,” she said. “In both my educational and professional roles, I have had the opportunity to be exposed to different fields which challenged me and forced me to consider multiple perspectives.”

Developing an AI tool for lawyers

After graduating from the Double Degree Programme in Law and Liberal Arts, Amelia Chew (Class of 2018) started work as a Legal Product Expert for a company that develops artificial intelligence software for lawyers. She felt that her Yale-NUS education helped her cope with a challenging rapidly-evolving work environment.

Working across the public and private sectors

Benjamin Leong (Class of 2018) graduated from the Concurrent Degree Programme with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, entering the workforce as a quantitative research analyst for a data-focussed consultancy. He credited his time at the College for developing his communication and presentation skills, specifically “the things I learned at the Writers’ Centre like determining what priorities others have and what catches their attention”.

Making a difference and helping people

In his junior year, an advisor from the College’s Centre for International & Professional Experience (CIPE) noticed that Ricky T. George (Class of 2020) had an interest in medicine and suggested he try the Yale-NUS & Duke-NUS Liberal Arts and Medicine Pathway. Ricky took the advice and went on to graduate from Duke-NUS as a medical doctor in 2024.

Writing and publishing poetry

Two years after graduating, Arts and Humanities major Abdul Hamid bin Roslan (Class of 2017) published his first book of poetry, parsetreeforestfire. Consisting of poems written in Singlish, with loose English translations, the book was a real Yale-NUS collaboration, with a cover design by Natalie Tan (Class of 2017) and assistance from Teo Xiao Ting (Class of 2018) who was working as an intern at the book’s publisher.

Literature graduate Shawn Hoo (Class of 2020) published a chapbook of his poetry, some of which was written for the Advanced Poetry Writing class taught by Senior Lecturer in Humanities (Creative Writing) Lawrence Ypil. Of the Florids explored the intricate connections between the natural and urban worlds, and won the 2021 Diode Editions Chapbook Prize.

Creating a drama series for radio

In 2020, Roshan Singh (Class of 2018) presented the radio drama series Temujin: An Audio Drama. Based on the account of Genghis Khan’s life in the Mongolian epic Secret History of the Mongols, the script was originally written for Roshan’s capstone project. In order to bring the script to life, he recruited many Yale-NUS students and alumni to work on the production, including Executive Producer Amarbold Lkhagvasuren (Class of 2018), his friend from Mongolia who had first introduced him to the story.

Writing comic books

Myle Yan Tay (Class of 2019) published two comic books in 2021, Putu Piring and Through the Longkang #1. Yan was heavily involved in creative work during his time at the College, especially the writing of Overtime: An Original Musical. Yan noted that that “I often think about how Yale-NUS, for me, was exactly where I needed to be to grow artistically. It gave me the chance to create work on a scale that would have been unachievable in other institutions, while still having that autonomy over those projects. This would not have been possible without the support of the incredibly passionate and talented creative collaborators I met at the College, who read drafts, organised productions, and performed in these works.”