By Siddhika Didel (Economics + NUSC ’26).

On the evening of 5 September 2025, the NUS College (NUSC) Saga Dining Hall buzzed with anticipation as over 70 students and alumni gathered for the Stanford Graduate School Sharing and Rapid Application Reviews event. Jointly organised by the Yale-NUS College (Yale-NUS) Club and NUSC, the event brought together alumni and students across the Yale-NUS, NUSC and University Scholars Programme (USP) communities.

Insights from Stanford and the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Programme

Sharing by Christian Tanja (Senior Assistant Director of Admissions), from the Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS) Programme at Stanford University.

The evening opened with Christian Tanja, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS) Programme at Stanford University, who spoke about the scholarship’s vision to cultivate a growing global community of visionary, courageous and collaborative leaders committed to creating positive change in the world. It is more than a financial award; it is a community that supports and pushes scholars to think beyond themselves, to take risks and grow as leaders in the service of others. His words resonated with the NUSC community, whose own ethos prizes interdisciplinary learning, cross-cultural engagement and the courage to contribute meaningfully to society.

Alumni Journeys: From Singapore to Stanford

That spirit of interdisciplinarity and exploration came alive in the reflections of alumni who had journeyed from NUSC’s predecessor colleges to Stanford.

Shardul Sapkota (Mathematical, Computational, and Statistical Sciences, Yale-NUS ’20), now pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, shared how the liberal arts curriculum had trained him to move fluidly across disciplines. “At Yale-NUS, I was constantly pushed to cross disciplinary boundaries,” he recalled. That same openness to curiosity has shaped his work at Stanford, where innovation thrives precisely in the spaces between fields.

For Nickson Quak (Philosophy, Politics and Economics + USP ’22), who completed a Master’s in International Policy, he recounted his journey from NUS to Stanford and now at work as a generative AI specialist at NVIDIA. “USP taught me to wrestle with theory, but also to ground it in practice. At Stanford, that translated into professional exploration on an exponential scale,” he shared.

Jiang Haolie (Global Affairs, Yale-NUS ’21) answering questions during his sharing session.

Jiang Haolie (Global Affairs, Yale-NUS ’21), a current Knight-Hennessy Scholar completing his Master’s in International Policy, spoke in person about the leadership journey he has undertaken. For him, Stanford has been as much about character as it has been about academics. “The Knight-Hennessy experience is not just about funding,” he reflected. “It is a crucible for growth — one that challenges you to think about impact beyond yourself.”

Taken together, the alumni narratives wove a common thread: their time at Yale-NUS and USP cultivated inquisitiveness, interdisciplinary thinking and community-mindedness that carried forward into their Stanford journeys. Each story was a reminder that education, when embraced fully, is not only about credentials but about transformation.

Rapid Reviews and Forging New Connections

An alum providing personalised response to a student’s enquiry about his graduate school application.

Volunteer alumni offered one-on-one feedback on resumes and personal statements. For students, the reviews were a rare chance to sit across someone who had once been in their shoes, and to receive candid, targeted advice on navigating the daunting world of graduate applications. What stood out, however, was not only the practical value of the reviews but the spirit of generosity behind them.

Engie Wong (Global Affairs, Yale-NUS ’23), who has pursued a career in higher education, described her motivation to return as a continuation of the community work she once did in the Writers’ Centre. “Tutoring was formative for me as a student; it shaped both my skills and my direction. Coming back to review applications is simply another way of walking alongside the NUSC community.”

Their perspectives circled back to a central value of NUSC and its predecessor programmes: education as a collective endeavour. The alumni did not simply dispense advice, they demonstrated that knowledge is most powerful when shared, and that growth is enhanced when pursued in community.

A shared space to connect with alumni and students – between those who did their graduate studies and those who are contemplating.

Building a Community for a Shared Journey of Growth

By the close of the evening, conversations were still flowing across the hall, some practical, others deeply personal. The collaboration between the Yale-NUS Club and NUSC had done more than provide information about Stanford. The evening underscored the importance of community. Jared Ng (Medicine + NUSC [USP] ’23) recalled how peers and seniors once opened doors for him by pointing out opportunities he might never have discovered alone.

By drawing alumni and students together around shared values of curiosity, exploration and contribution, the event allowed the values to be lived and perpetuated through the NUSC community.