Nilanjana Pal, CASE Asia-Pacific Executive Director

Thanks to my brave and adventurous parents, I have had the privilege of living in different parts of the world. This meant I had to navigate disparate school systems and some terribly unfashionable school uniforms. It was not until I arrived on my college campus as an international student in a small town in western Massachusetts, U.S., that I found my community. Over four years, I built the roots and meaningful connections that have endured for decades. This transformative experience instilled in me the desire to provide this opportunity to other students, especially women. 

My early contributions to my alma mater (financially and through service) were small, but my loyalty to the institution grew over time—as many readers of this magazine see in the alumni they work with. Now I enjoy volunteering on admissions interview panels and organizing events for alumni in my city (Singapore). I derive meaning from contributing to scholarships that might offer another woman a chance to access a life-changing education. 

My own experience with a liberal arts education in the U.S. has made me a lifelong devotee of this approach. When the opportunity to join Yale-NUS College, Singapore’s first liberal arts college came up, I was excited about this brand-new initiative and excited to be part of it. As the Head of the Experiential Learning office, I engaged directly with students and alumni, advised them on professional development, and helped link their personal or academic interests to learning opportunities outside the classroom. As much of our work required external partnerships, this office was the obvious choice to represent the institution and communicate how our programming was aligned with the strategic objectives of the college. This was my first introduction to institutional advancement, although I wasn’t even aware of the term at that time! 

Fast-forward eight years and now I am so fortunate to have joined the CASE team in Singapore as the Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific region. I am most excited about introducing the benefits of CASE membership to institutions in new markets in this vast region to complement our already strong membership in Asia-Pacific. The dynamism in this region is palpable, as is the complexity. I am looking to continue CASE’s high-impact work and support our members’ advancement missions to bring educational opportunities to students in Asia. I’ve seen firsthand how education can help lift entire communities and radically change their futures for the better.