Carissa's tenacity and determination in her work is to be greatly admired. Being in the same creative writing collective as her, I've seen both her work and support for the members. Her works are creative and showcase her strong voice, shedding light on important issues such as inequality, discrimination, and empowerment. Her feedback and criticism for other members match the strength of her writing, and never fails to support others in their creative pursuits. Her empathy allows her to understand the intentions of other writers, and it spurs her in giving them suggestions that can help them become better writers.

 

Ianna Chia, NUS Undergraduate

English Literature + USP (Class of 2021)

 

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I am writing to endorse Carissa for VP (External) in NUS GSS because she arguably has the most comprehensive and convincing platform I have seen thus far for executing and improving structures through GSS. I encountered Carissa’s work through gender-based and mental health advocacy in NUS during our undergraduate years, and she is the one I would trust to lead any organization out there to serve the people. Not only does she have the foresight and vision of a leader, but her plans are thoughtful, conscientiously researched, well-communicated (to varied audiences), effective, and inclusive. My peers and I in NUS who have worked with Carissa have great trust in her to initiate and follow through on proposals, as well as to collaborate fruitfully with whatever stakeholders are involved in her work. If the GSS Exco is keen on making important change happen, Carissa is the one to elect.

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Megan Gail Morais, NUS Undergraduate

English Language + USP (Class of 2021)

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I became formally acquainted with Carissa Cheow over a year ago, but her reputation precedes her, and prior to this, I had heard multiple strong testimonies speaking of not only her aptitude, but character as well.

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Since having met her, these testimonies have proven to be more than true: Carissa is a community-builder with clear and understanding of what "community" even entails and means. Her strategy for community building is well-contemplated and purposeful; she is an exceptional example of an individual who deliberates over, and integrates, finer details into big-picture visions – such that small steps are neatly outlined and taken, and converge meaningfully towards ensuring a cohesive, whole outcome.

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I endorse Carissa for GSS firmly, and with full confidence.

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Odette Yiu, Yale-NUS Undergraduate

Liberal Arts - Undeclared Major (Class of 2024)

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Carissa is a true believer in the work she does and passionate about the goals she sets for herself to accomplish. Having seen her work on gender-based advocacy and collaborated with her on multiple occasions to coordinate action plans, I have been thoroughly impressed by Carissa's dedication and attention to detail. Her extensive workplan laid out on her campaign website is testament to this dedication: when Carissa sets her mind on something, she is sure to see it through to completion and excellence. At the same time, she is a great listener and attentive to the concerns of the people she represents as well as her collaborators, making her an ideal candidate for the co-creative and ground-up vision she has outlined in her campaign materials and the Graduate Students Society's work. Keep calm and cari-on!

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Yogesh Tulsi, Yale-NUS Graduate

Liberal Arts - Literature (Class of 2020)

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I have worked with Carissa Cheow in various activities related to student organising for a better future for fellow students. I cannot think of a better candidate for vice-president (external) of the GSS. A vice president needs to be willing and able to liaise and coordinate with different actors to get things done. Carissa is a brilliant organiser who has achieved many things despite the immense odds stacked against the caused she fights for.

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For instance, we worked together to advocate for the protection of survivors and victims of sexual offences on campus. The campaign was a partial success as NUS reformed its policies. But Carissa did not stop with advocacy. She went on to co-found an organisation that exists to this very day, which cares and advocates for the rights and welfare of survivors and victims. That organisation is called SafeNUS. 

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Carissa has also done something similar in her involvement with TransNUS, an organisation that serves as a safe space for Trans people on campus. She has done this despite living in a country that does not even recognise the existence of Trans people. 

 

Carissa will be an asset to any organisation that cares for and serves the majority and not just the few. She is always thinking of how different policies and actions affect those at the margins and margins of the margins. This is also why I invited her as a speaker in a panel of other esteemed community organisers who have withstood the many odds set against them and yet successfully carved out spaces that served their communities' interests.

 

Carissa is both a visionary and an executor. A rare combination. If elected to this post, I am certain that the community of graduate students will benefit from her leadership. If she can organise and advocate for communities that are not even recognised by the system, I am confident that she will provide excellent ideas and display great organising and negotiating skills in solving the many issues that affect graduate students today such as the job crisis.

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I, Suraendher Kumarr, a researcher at Beyond Social Services and board member of migrant labour organisation HOME, gladly endorse Carissa Cheow for Vice-President (External) of the Graduates' Student Society.

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Suraendher Kumarr, NUS Graduate
Political Science (Class of 2019)
 

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Having worked with Carissa in a community-building capacity, I want to give her my strongest endorsement for the VP (External) role in NUS GSS. Carissa is a dedicated individual with an unparalleled work ethic, as exemplified by her detailed workplan. She is driven by a strong sense of duty and empathy, and constantly uses her position as a leader of various initiatives to stand in solidarity with many marginalised communities. I have no doubt that she will be an excellent addition to the GSS Exco and represent the interests of various stakeholders to emerge stronger through this crisis.

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Isaac James Neo, NUS Graduate

Political Science (Class of 2019)

RSIS - MSc, Asian Studies (Class of 2020)

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I’d known of Carissa’s work before I’d met her, and this is testament to the strength and impact of her leadership. In particular, the work that TransNUS and SafeNUS do is so so important, and I've been very inspired by her courage and tenacity in stepping up to lead in areas of need.

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Not only have I been impressed by how capable she is, I’m also grateful that care and empathy serve as the foundation of what she does. I believe Carissa will continue to be an exceptional leader in her communities, very much including through GSS.

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Jay Wong, Yale-NUS Undergraduate

Liberal Arts - Environmental Studies (Class of 2021)

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Carissa was an invited panellist for the roundtable discussion, "Bolder Strategies for Extraordinary Times", which I helped to organise as part of the online festival, Activism in Crisis. Through my work with her and also reading her writing, it's evident that she cares a lot about her communities and the people around her. She thinks deeply about and speaks articulately about the structural issues that affect our lives. Most importantly, her organising work stems from firsthand lived experiences of the challenges that students face and that's how I know that she will work wholeheartedly and tenaciously for the well-being of the people whose interests she will represent as the GSS Vice President.

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Wong Pei Chi, UCL Graduate
Economics (Class of 2006)

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I have had the opportunity to work with Carissa on several advocacy-related projects within our college and university. In our work, I have learnt tremendous lessons from her about the power of student organizing and what it means to centre the well-being of people in the midst of advocacy. She is not only someone who is extremely passionate and driven about what she believes in, but in equal parts - kind, compassionate towards the people she works with. I have complete faith that Carissa will be able to drive important change if she were to be elected in the GSS exco.

 

Samira Hassan, NUS Undergraduate

Global Studies (Class of 2021)

Co-President, Students for a Safer NUS

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