Cecily Pavri is a Catholic nun whose passion for disadvantaged teens and women has engaged her in teaching, leading a school and now, in counselling.

Of Chinese-Indian descent, she blends perfectly in the cosmopolitan milieu of Singapore where she grew up and fell in love with God who prompted her to share her life and love with the disadvantaged.

While still in high school, she accompanied an elderly nun in her visits to the poor. The poverty, ignorance and deprivation of the women and children touched her deeply. She experienced a great desire to prevent the next generation from the vicious downward spiral of their families and realised that education is key to help them to rise above their wretched state.

As a teacher and then principal, her focus was on values education and academic excellence. She inspired generations of disadvantaged girls to stretch their potential and achieve higher education and then in turn contribute back to their communities.
She is recipient to her country’s national day awards for Efficiency and Public Service for her contribution to education.

Though her background is in the Life Sciences, she believed that an education in the Arts will build confidence, character and culture. This prompted her to establish the first– the ‘Performing Arts for All’ programme at her school.

One challenging achievement was the fundraising and rebuilding of the school that to date provides high quality education for 3000 girls, the majority of whom come from less advantaged backgrounds.

She says “The Inspiring Woman in my life is St. Magdalen of Canossa, foundress of the Order of Canossian Sisters that I belong to. Though wealthy and noble, Magdalen chose to live among the poor, caring for them and schooling them. She wrote that ”the conduct of a person in life depends on the education received’ and she envisaged the school as the most opportune means to curb society’s moral and material poverty and the preferred means to make God known and loved. Hence my life’s work is just a continuation of hers.”