Yale-NUS alumnus Liam Rahman named as Stanford University’s Knight-Hennessy Scholar

Yale-NUS College alumnus Liam Rahman has been named a 2022 Knight-Hennessy Scholar. Through the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program, which funds graduate study at Stanford University, Liam will also participate in the King Global Leadership Program, which strives to develop inspiring, visionary leaders who have strong cross-cultural perspectives and are committed to the greater good.

Liam graduated from Yale-NUS College in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). As a member of the College’s inaugural cohort, Liam played a significant role in laying the foundations for student life at Yale-NUS, through his active involvement in student activities such as the tennis team, the entrepreneurship society, and serving as a student representative on various committees.

On receiving the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, Liam said, “The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program appealed to me due to its focus on attracting people who exhibit purposeful leadership, independence of thought, civic mindedness and its ability to nurture them into global leaders. The Program attracts students from all disciplines, and from around the world and I want to ensure that I continue to learn broadly while gaining depth in my postgraduate studies at Stanford.”

After graduating from College, Liam developed his social enterprise, Equal Education Partners, headquartered in Wales with projects internationally. The company recruits education professionals for schools, runs government-funded education programmes with top global universities, and develops digital solutions for the education sector. In 2019, Liam was awarded the St David’s Award in the International category by Wales’ First Minister at the Welsh Parliament (Senedd), for expanding access of world class education to pupils across Wales.

Professor Tan Tai Yong, President of Yale-NUS, said, “Liam is an outstanding member of the Class of 2017, who has contributed greatly to the College through his service in various capacities – as a student representative in committees and a leader in student organisations. As an alumnus, he continues to support Yale-NUS students by connecting them with global work and learning opportunities. We are proud of Liam and are excited about the impact that he will go on to create as a globally oriented leader.”

Liam credits his liberal arts and science education for helping to prepare him for his career and post-graduate education. “Interdisciplinary learning at Yale-NUS has enabled me to work in a wide range of capacities, from building a mission-driven team to enhancing educational opportunities to leading a multi-disciplinary team of designers and software developers to build a digital platform for a public sector client,” said Liam.

While at Yale-NUS, Liam had the opportunity to study internationally at Yale College and the Yale School of Management. He added that his experience studying internationally and at leading institutions have inspired his ambition to enhance educational opportunities available to students across Wales and support social and economic mobility. He also considers himself fortunate to have had excellent mentors during his time at the College, one of whom was Mrs Doris Sohmen-Pao, Chief Executive Officer of the Human Capital Leadership Institute, who was a former Executive Vice President (Institutional Affairs) at the College.

Liam will be pursuing a MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a MA in Education at Stanford Graduate School of Education. His longer-term ambition is to develop a model for sustainably governed liberal arts and science education that transcends geographical boundaries.