SINGAPORE, March 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- North London Collegiate School (Singapore) marked International Women's Day 2026 with a series of meaningful events under the banner 'HerStory', bringing together students, parents, media, community leaders, and Singapore-based advocates designed to highlight women's voices, stories, and leadership in a shared commitment to empowerment, equality, and purposeful giving.
The week-long programme celebrated women and inspired young people, creating a space where the next generation sits alongside those already driving change, and where shared purpose translates into collective action.
Rooted in a 175-Year Legacy of Female Empowerment
The values driving HerStory Week are inseparable from the founding story of NLCS itself. Frances Mary Buss established North London Collegiate School in 1850, pioneering girls' academic education at a time when rigorous learning for women was far from guaranteed. She believed that every girl deserves equal opportunity to access education that builds confidence, knowledge, and the power to shape her own future and she gave her life's work to making that belief a reality, shaping generations of leaders, innovators, and change-makers in the process.
The HerStory Dinner
The centrepiece of the week was the HerStory Dinner, a thought-leadership event built around the theme: "What Will You Give to Gain through Knowledge, Time, and Advocacy." It was an evening designed not just to commemorate, but to ask everyone in the room how they might contribute meaningfully through knowledge-sharing, service, and advocacy.
Presentations across the evening explored what it truly means to give, shining light on the initiatives, causes, and communities that NLCS (Singapore) has rallied around.
Student Leadership and Advocacy in Action
HerStory Week placed student voices and student action at its heart. Across the school, young people stepped forward to reflect on what equality means to them through their societies, their service, and their leadership, showing that the next generation is not waiting to inherit a more equal world, they are already building it.
Student ambassadors from across year groups spoke to the importance of equity, inclusion, wellbeing, and belonging, sharing their commitment to upstanding values, advocacy, and creating a community where every individual feels valued and supported.
MercuriX, the school's national champion STEM Racing team preparing for the World Finals, used the week to champion inclusive leadership in STEM, pledging to mentor younger female students and making the case that the most diverse teams build the best solutions.
The Student Athlete Coaching Programme connects Junior and Senior School students through sport, with female senior students modelling leadership and inspiring younger peers to see themselves as capable leaders.
The Amnesty International Society continued its steady work writing letters and petitions in support of human rights cases worldwide, rounded in the belief that no act of advocacy is too small to matter.
The GreenWave Society channeled its energy into sustainability on and off campus, fundraising grassroots charities and proving that student-led action reaches far beyond the classroom.
The school's Pacha Club, the first chapter of the global Pachamama Project to launch in Asia, has been creating reusable period pads for refugees and people experiencing period poverty, keeping girls in school and restoring dignity where it matters most.
Community Partners: Giving Where It Matters Most
HerStory Week also made room for the voices beyond the school walls, including women and organisations from across Singapore's women's empowerment, migrant worker welfare, and gender advocacy communities who joined the gathering not as guests, but as proof that giving through knowledge, time, and advocacy is already remaking the world.
About North London Collegiate School (Singapore)
Founded in 2020, NLCS (Singapore) is a British International School offering the academically ambitious NLCS curriculum, the IB Middle Years Programme, and the IB Diploma Programme. Drawing on 175 years of heritage, the school nurtures individuals to be intellectually curious and socially confident. Part of a global family of schools, NLCS (Singapore) is committed to developing compassionate global citizens.
Discover the full 'HerStory' Exhibition gallery and more stories from our community by following NLCS (Singapore) on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. To learn more, please visit nlcssingapore.sg or get in touch with us today.
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NLCS (Singapore) celebrates International Women's Day with 'HerStory' Exhibition
AUSTIN, Texas, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Saronic today announced it has selected Brownsville, Texas as the future home of Port Alpha, its next-generation shipyard designed to help restore American maritime strength and significantly expand the nation's shipbuilding capacity.
The announcement marks a major milestone in Saronic's mission to restore U.S. shipbuilding capacity at scale. First introduced as a vision for the future of maritime manufacturing, Port Alpha now moves from concept to reality through a planned investment of more than $3 billion that aims to establish one of the most advanced shipyards in the world, built for software-defined shipbuilding and autonomous maritime systems.
The project is expected to generate more than $160 billion in regional economic impact for Cameron County and $264.5 billion for the State of Texas, while creating up to 10,000 direct jobs. This makes Port Alpha one of the largest economic development projects in modern Texas history. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2026, with Port Alpha expected to open for operations in 2028.
The timing is pivotal. In one of his first actions in office, President Trump issued an Executive Order on Restoring America's Maritime Dominance, followed by federal initiatives such as the SHIPS for America Act and the Maritime Action Plan that call for a generational rebuild of the American shipbuilding industry. These efforts recognize that economic security and national security are inseparable, and that restoring U.S. shipbuilding capacity is essential to both. Port Alpha will expand domestic production capacity and strengthen the nation's ability to meet commercial and defense requirements while closing the widening shipbuilding gap with foreign adversaries.
"America's maritime future depends on our ability to build again," said Dino Mavrookas, Co-Founder and CEO of Saronic. "Port Alpha is our commitment to that mission. Built from the ground up to deliver ships at a speed and scale not seen since World War II, this investment is about more than constructing a shipyard. It is about rebuilding the industrial capacity, workforce, and manufacturing advantage required to ensure American maritime leadership for decades to come. The state of Texas and city of Brownsville give us the foundation to turn that vision into reality."
Following a year-long nationwide search evaluating sites across the East, West, and Gulf Coasts, Brownsville was selected after a rigorous review of workforce availability, infrastructure readiness, land scale, logistics, and expansion potential. Initially situated on 835 acres at the Port of Brownsville, with the opportunity to expand to nearly 4,400 acres, Port Alpha will encompass a shipyard and manufacturing facility capable of producing vessels up to 850-ft. Future site expansion could support the production of vessels over 1,200 ft. The site provides hundreds of acres of waterfront access, deepwater channel connectivity, multimodal logistics infrastructure, and room for long-term expansion—everything required to anchor a next-generation shipbuilding hub.
"Today marks history with the announcement of the most advanced shipyard in the entire world," said Governor Abbott. "When this shipyard gets fully built out, there will be about 10,000 employees. Saronic is going to be providing about $750 million in annual paychecks to Texans. That's game-changing for the population of Texas. As Governor, I'm proud that Saronic calls Texas home."
Over the next decade, Port Alpha is expected to create up to 10,000 high-quality direct jobs spanning skilled trades such as welding and machining to advanced roles in robotics, software engineering, and naval architecture. The project aligns with national calls to rebuild the maritime workforce pipeline, creating new opportunities for skilled workers at the intersection of shipbuilding and advanced technology. Saronic will collaborate with the State of Texas, Cameron County, and local educational institutions – from regional technical colleges to leading State universities and institutions – to develop workforce training and apprenticeship programs designed to sustain long-term industrial growth and position South Texas as a center of excellence for advanced maritime manufacturing.
Port Alpha builds on Saronic's expanding shipbuilding footprint. In early 2025, the company acquired a shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana, where it is investing $300 million to add 300,000 square feet of production capacity. That facility will continue producing Saronic's 180-foot Marauder autonomous vessel, which was designed and launched in less than one year. Together, these facilities represent a multi-billion-dollar private capital commitment to restoring American shipbuilding capacity, advancing autonomous maritime systems, and strengthening the nation's industrial resilience.
More than a shipyard, Port Alpha represents a new model for American shipbuilding—combining advanced manufacturing, software-defined production, and autonomy at unprecedented scale. To sustain that edge, Saronic is forging strategic partnerships with leading manufacturers, emerging shipbuilding technology providers, and premier suppliers, ensuring that the latest capabilities continuously strengthen and inform Port Alpha's production architecture alongside Saronics' in-house expertise. In doing so, Port Alpha embodies the transformation envisioned in national maritime strategy, one that leverages technology to strengthen deterrence, resilience, and operational flexibility. As construction advances, Saronic will continue working with federal, state, and local partners to establish the industrial foundation required for the next generation of maritime power in America.
Contact: press@saronic.com
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Saronic to Build Port Alpha, America's Next Generation Shipyard, in Brownsville, Texas
