Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
What does it take to find your voice, and turn a childhood dream into a career on the world stage? In this installment of Leaders Among Us, Boston University President Melissa Gilliam sits down with BU alum and award-winning Singaporean news anchor Glenda Chong (COM'97) for an intimate conversation about purpose, trust, and what it truly means to lead.
Recorded in March 2026 at the 20th Annual Asia Alumni Forum in Singapore, the conversation begins with a vivid origin story: at 13 years old, Glenda stood in front of her family's TV, pointed at the news anchor on screen, and told her parents, "I'm going to be her." She never wavered from that goal.
Glenda credits her time at Boston University as a turning point, not just academically, but personally. Growing up in Singapore, where speaking out wasn't the norm, BU challenged her to find her voice. Her standout resume, built on a BU education and key internships, helped her land a role at Singapore's only media company, and she never looked back.
From there, Glenda went on to become one of Asia's most recognized broadcast journalists. As Channel NewsAsia's China Correspondent in Shanghai, she reported on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. She has anchored major breaking news coverage of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the 2006 Thai Coup, and multiple live election specials across Asia. In 2001, she was named Best News Anchor at the Asian Television Awards, and received Best Presenter honors at MediaCorp's Annual Excellence Awards in 2005.
In this conversation, Glenda and President Gilliam explore what leadership really means, and Glenda's answer is clear: it starts with trust. As she puts it, "Trust defines good leadership and good journalism."
👉 Keep reading about BU's 20th Annual Asia Alumni Forum: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2026/bu-asia-alumni-forum-celebrates-20-years/?utm_campaign=social_main&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=link&utm_content=alumni
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#bostonuniversity #womeninmedia #broadcastjournalism #journalism #singapore
What does it take to find your voice, and turn a childhood dream into a career on the world stage? In this installment of Leaders Among Us, Boston University President Melissa Gilliam sits down with BU alum and award-winning Singaporean news anchor Glenda Chong (COM'97) for an intimate conversation about purpose, trust, and what it truly means to lead.
Recorded in March 2026 at the 20th Annual Asia Alumni Forum in Singapore, the conversation begins with a vivid origin story: at 13 years old, Glenda stood in front of her family's TV, pointed at the news anchor on screen, and told her parents, "I'm going to be her." She never wavered from that goal.
Glenda credits her time at Boston University as a turning point, not just academically, but personally. Growing up in Singapore, where speaking out wasn't the norm, BU challenged her to find her voice. Her standout resume, built on a BU education and key internships, helped her land a role at Singapore's only media company, and she never looked back.
From there, Glenda went on to become one of Asia's most recognized broadcast journalists. As Channel NewsAsia's China Correspondent in Shanghai, she reported on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. She has anchored major breaking news coverage of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the 2006 Thai Coup, and multiple live election specials across Asia. In 2001, she was named Best News Anchor at the Asian Television Awards, and received Best Presenter honors at MediaCorp's Annual Excellence Awards in 2005.
In this conversation, Glenda and President Gilliam explore what leadership really means, and Glenda's answer is clear: it starts with trust. As she puts it, "Trust defines good leadership and good journalism."
👉 Keep reading about BU's 20th Annual Asia Alumni Forum: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2026/bu-asia-alumni-forum-celebrates-20-years/?utm_campaign=social_main&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=link&utm_content=alumni
Subscribe to our channel by clicking the button above!
Follow BU on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bostonu.bsky.social
Follow BU on Facebook: facebook.com/BostonUniversity
Follow BU on Instagram: instagram.com/bostonu
Follow BU on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/boston-university
Follow BU on Threads: threads.com/@bostonu
Follow BU on TikTok: tiktok.com/@bostonu
#bostonuniversity #womeninmedia #broadcastjournalism #journalism #singapore
