SINGAPORE—Everyone wants to make a difference in the world, but oftentimes they postpone their philanthropic plans until they are successful or rich enough to do so.
A 37-year-old insurance agent decided that it was time for him to give back to society. Randy Ang recently made the news for making a hefty donation of S$100,000 to his alma mater, Nanyang Technological University’s School of Computer Science and Engineering in 2015.
The donation was used to fund the Randy Ang Bursary to help computer engineering students coming from low-income households to finish their schooling.
Mr. Ang was quoted as saying, “I want to help poor students get a degree. I have seen people drop out of university to work as they didn’t have the money to study. It’s a waste.”
From the beginning, Mr. Ang understood the value of education. He was more fortunate than his father who, because of difficult times, was not able to afford a university education.
Mr. Ang graduated with a degree in computer engineering in NTU and eventually ventured into the insurance business. He then set up his own IT consulting and programming company. Going into the business made him financially independent. Now, he lives with his wife and three-year-old son in their HDB flat.
Even though he is living a comfortable, if not, affluent lifestyle, Mr. Ang said he still participates in grassroots work in Toa Payoh.
Netizens expressed admiration for Mr. Ang’s philanthropic act, saying that his story inspires them to do the same.
Other more cynical netizens questioned why he needed to put a name to his donation if he just wanted o help, saying that it seemed to have been a much more self-serving move.
Another netizen responded that it does not matter if he wanted to be recognized because at least the money would be put to good use in helping others.
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