Alumni and Scholars Connect 2026
Our Alumni and Scholars Connect 2026 was a meaningful gathering that brought together alumni donors and the Community Scholars they have supported, providing an opportunity to connect, share experiences and celebrate the impact of giving.
The morning began with the arrival of our distinguished guests, Professor Dato’ Elizabeth Lee, CEO of Sunway Education Group, and Ms Lee Siok Ping, Chief of Student LIFE & Services, followed by a warm welcome from our emcees, Ayden and Jolina, who are also scholarship recipients themselves.
The event officially kicked off with a few opening words by Prof. Dato’ Elizabeth Lee, who highlighted that the gathering was a celebration of the connection between alumni and Community Scholars, as well as the spirit of giving back within the Sunway community. She shared about the 5Ts and how alumni can make a meaningful impact in many ways. She expressed how heartwarming it is to see former scholarship recipients who have gone on to become donors themselves, paying forward the opportunities they once received.
The event then moved into a fun icebreaker, “Guess My Generation”, which gave alumni and scholars the opportunity to get to know one another better. Through a series of light-hearted questions, participants discovered more about each other while celebrating the different generations and experiences represented in the room.
This was followed by two heartfelt testimony sessions. Community Scholar Izzah shared her journey as a scholar, including the challenges she faced, the support she received, and the achievements made along the way. Our alumnus scholar Jagadesan also reflected on his journey, sharing the lessons and challenges he encountered before becoming a donor himself. Their stories were moving reminders of how scholarships can broaden horizons and create opportunities for students to shape their futures. Both speakers also shared their heartfelt gratitude for the support they had received throughout their journeys.
The sharing sessions led into “Build the Future”, a vision board activity designed to encourage meaningful conversations between alumni and scholars. Alumni were paired with scholars and given reflection sheets to guide conversations around their experiences, challenges, defining moments, and lessons learned throughout their journeys. Meanwhile, scholars used their Five-Year Vision Canvas to explore where they hope to be five years from now, including their career aspirations, skills they would like to develop, the person they hope to become and the impact they would like to make. Alumni joined them in bringing these visions to life by offering guidance, encouragement and perspectives from their own experiences.
To close the activity, our alumni and scholars received a postcard and had an Instax photo taken together with their respective pair. They exchanged handwritten notes featuring words of encouragement, takeaways from the day or wishes for each other’s journey ahead, creating a keepsake of the meaningful connection formed during the session.
A highlight of the day was bringing two of our alumni donors, Sheila and Victor, to spot their names on the Heart of Giving wall, a tribute to the donors who generously contributed towards our scholars’ educational journeys. It was a meaningful moment to recognise their generosity and the difference their support continues to make.
The event concluded over lunch, where alumni and scholars continued their conversations, strengthened their connections and exchanged stories. A heartfelt thank you to all our alumni who joined us. Your generosity, presence and continued support make a lasting difference in the lives of our Community Scholars, and we look forward to seeing these connections continue to grow.
