SMU and IWA Celebrate 10 Years of Partnership
2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the IWA SMU Vidya Scholarship, and the 25th anniversary of IWA in Singapore. SMU is delighted to celebrate these significant milestones and thank IWA for their continued support towards SMU students in financial need.
The Indian Women’s Association (IWA) in Singapore champions a shared mission of Caring, Connecting, and Celebrating each other. In line with their objectives, IWA seeks to empower women through education.
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today” – Malcolm X
As a measure of giving back and encouraging a talented and deserving child to attain higher education, the IWA Vidya Scholarship at SMU was launched in 2012, to support students in need of financial assistance. Through the years, the Scholarship has empowered 10 students to pursue their passion through education, and to create positive impact at SMU and the community beyond.
Pallavi Tulsian, Year 3, School of Economics and AY2021/2022 IWA Vidya Scholarship recipient
I felt elated and proud that IWA considered me deserving of such a scholarship. I was appreciative of the fact that I was equally evaluated as an awardee despite being an international student. The award has been a constant source of motivation to continue to strive for the better and to prove my worthiness. My aim is to continue to work hard and be able to give back to the community that has held my hand today.
Thank you for bestowing this award upon me – your organisation is doing wonders to nurture young talents. I am grateful for the scholarship and it has strengthened my self-belief and motivation towards giving back to society even more.
Beyond university and graduation, I hope to establish myself in the financial services sector – especially in venture capital – as the innovation and grit that I observe in start-up founders is unparalleled. My greatest aspiration would be to make my parents proud and be able to give back to my community and society.
Selmé Singh is the current President of IWA.
The IWA Vidya Scholarship was established in 2011 under former President Ms Subina Khaneja, and consecutive teams helming IWA over the last 10 years have kept this commitment to SMU.
We believe that our youth are our future. Knowing that education builds character, encourages empathy and cross-cultural relationships, we are committed to making a difference in the lives of some young people through our scholarships. Our yearly meetings with the gifted recipients at SMU have always been heartwarming, strengthening our belief in the work we are doing.
The core values of IWA are Care, Connect and Celebrate, and in the same vein, we hope that the recipients of the IWA Vidya Scholarship will find a way to pay it forward to the community.
As IWA completes 25 years in service of the community, we remain grateful for the opportunity to serve the youth and thank SMU for being a valuable partner on this journey. We look forward to keeping this commitment in the years to come.
Subina Khaneja was President of IWA when the IWA Vidya Scholarship was established at SMU in 2012.
Having been a member since IWA’s inception in 1997, when I was taking on the mandate as President of the Indian Women’s Association in 2011, I knew it was time to re-purpose IWA.
IWA is a community organisation, and as with any community welfare body, we must visualize how we can aspire to make a difference. Its clear mandate must be to have a vision for the world it operates in and has some influence over. It must be able to identify its community’s needs, and fill gaps in society to stay relevant to the needs and aspirations of the community that it represents here in Singapore.
And it must have a vision of the future…
With these envisioning guidelines, we created a mission to care, connect and celebrate.
As a part of CARE, our community service initiative, we created a five-pronged strategy to serve different areas.
For me, personally, I had a dream to create a scholarship to support the aspirations of a child in higher education. And I wanted to create a reserve fund so the scholarship would continue even after my term.
And as we complete a decade of this partnership, I must congratulate both SMU and IWA in their continued pursuit of excellence in education and wish both organisations all the best for the future.
As an Indians and Asians, we believe in the value of a good education, and therein lies the ethos of meritocracy in Singapore. At IWA, it is our privilege to contribute in a small way as a measure of giving back, and to support a talented and aspiring student to attain higher education and take a step towards a better future.
