Dearest fellow, former graduates of NUS Sociology,

Do you reminisce the days fighting for space at the Central Library and the Arts Canteen and the nights studying for the exams or writing your thesis in the serene corridors of the campus? Do you cherish the friendships you forged with fellow students as you worked off the quirks of your lecturers together? Do you remember fondly the off-the-books experiences of student life that brought joy and love and sometimes pain that made you who you are today? As an alumna myself, I can say that I re-live these memories almost daily since I now have the privilege to teach at the Department.

As graduates of sociology, you would know, not everyone is so privileged to have such memories. The NUS Sociology Alumni Bursary Fund (initiated by Pioneer Class of '69) aims to help two students from underprivileged background each year to have the same opportunities to develop the rich experiences, friendship and memories of university education like other students. For one recipient this year, the bursary helps to lighten the burden of working to finance herself during the crucial Honours year. For another, the bursary has expanded her horizons to explore cultural activities such as Chinese dance and gave her the chance to go out and have better meals occasionally. These are things that regular students take for granted, and for which, the bursary recipients are grateful just to have a taste of before returning to the hard knocks of the real world.

The bursary was initiated by the Pioneer Class of '69 and the funds have helped many students to date. But we have been running down the funds. The Department would like to sustain the bursary so that it would continue to be a blessing to financially needy students. We hope you could join with the Pioneer Class of '69, imbibe in their spirit of generosity, of paying it forward, and contribute to the bursary. I thank you in advance and on behalf of the beneficiaries.

Most sincerely,
Professor Vineeta Sinha
Head of Department