Inspiring the Next Generation: Alumnus Gift Champions Innovation and Student Trailblazers

(From left to right, front to back) Dr Jovan Tan (Director, Sustainability Action and Innovation Lab (SAIL), CDE NUS), Dr Elliot Law (Senior Lecturer and Programme Coordinator, Innovation & Design Programme (iDP), CDE NUS), Ms Serena Teo (Chief Executive Officer, Capitaland Ascott Trust Management Limited), Dr Yen Shih-Cheng (Director. Engineering Design & Innovation Centre (EDIC), CDE NUS), Ms Goh Chen Yan (Manager, Engineering & Sustainability, The Ascott Limited), Mr Helmi Doroham (lyf Champion, lyf Bugis Singapore & lyf one-north Singapore), Mr Collin Foo (Vice President, Digitalisation & Business Insights and Operational Excellence, The Ascott Limited) and Mr Johnny Gao (Assistant Vice President, Sustainability, The Ascott Limited)

A generous gift from NUS alumna Ms Serena Teo, seeks to encourage and inspire students to become innovative change-makers in addressing real-world challenges. Through a five-year commitment totaling $50,000, Ms Teo established the CDE Trailblazer Honor Fund, which will support an initiative designed to empower students in the Innovation Design & Programme (iDP) and across the College of Design and Engineering (CDE)..

This initiative provides students with opportunities to lead bold, self-initiated projects that demand creativity, resilience, and leadership. Outstanding students under this initiative will be awarded a prize for their ability to push boundaries and deliver impactful solutions, to offset expenses incurred during their innovation journeys, particularly in executing their final-year projects on iDP.

One of the project themes in this initiative is “Enabling Sustainability in Co-living Environments”, which invites students to address sustainability challenges across CapitaLand Ascott Trust’s lyf co-living properties. These properties will serve as living testbeds, offering students a rare opportunity to apply their ideas in real-world settings and shape the future of sustainable living.

“Innovation is never a straight path — it demands bold thinking, the courage to challenge norms, and the resilience to keep going when things get tough. I want to support students who embody these qualities and help them realise their potential to shape the future.” — Ms Serena Teo

By championing this cause, Ms Teo hopes to inspire students to embrace the iDP as a launchpad for creativity and impact. The programme offers a unique platform for students to cultivate design thinking, sharpen problem-solving skills, and tackle authentic industry challenges, while learning to lead with conviction and courage.

The initiative supported by the CDE Trailblazer Honor Fund is more than an accolade; it is a call to action for aspiring innovators to step forward, take ownership of their learning, and create solutions that matter.