IN THIS ISSUE

The essence of SMU is about creating graduates who are equipped to make a difference. The university exudes professional excellence, thrives on versatility, and always challenges it students to raise the bar. Alumnus Kaushal Dugar (BBM, 2006) is a representation of this SMU success formula. Having graduated in 2006, he has left us with quite a legacy to live up to. We remember him as the founding President of SMU Ventures, a LuxAsia VIE award recipient, Dean of Students award recipient, a debater and a member of Cognitare. He is currently working at KPMG, Corporate Finance & Strategy. Aside from work commitments, Kaushal believes in giving back to the community. He is actively involved in the SMU Alumni Association as a member of its Executive Committee and is also the co-founder of a non-profit called Books to Read.

Kaushal was inspired by the work of Neil Turok, a physicist at Cambridge University, who founded the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences to promote education in Africa. With education being the primary focus of his work, Kaushal decided to channel his energies towards improving the reach and the quality of education in developing countries. Books to Read‘s pioneer project SAIL, (The Singapore African Initiative for Learning) aims to enrich the lives of students in countries such as Zambia, Nigeria and Sudan. The project is currently orchestrating a drive to collect books from individuals and libraries in Singapore, which will be sent to beneficiary schools in African countries by early next year. Another project in the pipeline is to Darjeeling, which aims to collect school supplies and stationary for educational institutions there. Kaushal highlights that the plight of these institutions is so dire that they are not able to provide students with pencils.

Books to Read is still growing, and Kaushal hopes to tie up with students from SMU to execute projects in the near future. He intends to engage CCA and Leadership and Team Building groups, as well as individual students who may be interested in the projects. He is confident that these partnerships will have astounding results. He believes that the university has equipped him with a unique set of technical, social and cultural skills, which would be difficult to acquire elsewhere. He was constantly challenged and motivated and is grateful for the experience now that he is running his own enterprise. He often brings his core team to his alma mater, where over a cup of coffee they ponder how they should best take on the world and make it a better place.