19 August 2020
Ms Alyssa Marie Loo Li Ann is this year’s sole President’s Scholar. She was awarded the scholarship by Singapore President Halimah Yacob at a virtual ceremony.
Ms Loo attended the virtual ceremony from home with her mother Agnes Phuah, who works as an administrative officer. Also in attendance at the session were Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing and PSC chairman Lee Tzu Yang.
Ms Loo is headed to Brown University in the United States in January next year to read linguistics. She is interested in exploring topics such as having Singlish as a cultural icon, and the effects of a bilingual policy.
Urging Ms Loo to broaden her horizons, expand her networks and develop fresh perspectives, Madam Halimah said: “I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, open yourself to new experiences and seize every opportunity to develop the skills and expertise Singapore will need for the future.”