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Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo, former Workers' Party Chief Low Thia Khiang, Member of Parliament Denise Phua were among the recipients of the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) Distinguished Arts and Social Sciences Alumni Award on Apr. 29, 2022.

The awards recognise individuals for their distinguished scholarship and exemplary service to FASS, NUS, and the nation.

The trio were joined by Singapore's Ambassador to Japan Peter Tan and Haresh Sharma, resident playwright of the Necessary Stage, in receiving the awards.

"These five individuals have contributed to Singapore in distinctive ways, and their passion, perseverance and pursuit of excellence serve as an inspiration to current and future generations of FASS students," said NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye, according to a press release by the university.

"NUS is proud to have them as our alumni, and I hope they will continue to maintain close ties with their alma mater and with FASS. There is much we can do together, to nurture and inspire the next generation of Singaporeans to realise their potential."

"Days of freedom"

The night commemorated the 2021-edition of the awards, which had been postponed due to Covid-19.

In a video shown to attendees, Phua, who also serves as Mayor of the Central Singapore District, spoke about her fond memories of her "days of freedom" while studying at NUS.

She said that her time at the university had helped hone her ability to think critically, developed her confidence to speak up, and made her realise the importance of finding solutions to problems to make a difference.

Phua graduated from NUS with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Political Science in 1983.

Teo graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Economics and won several honours including the Rachel Meyer Book Prize for being the Best Woman Student; Low graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese Studies from NUS in 1981.

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Top image from NUS