As Bear Grylls once said, you have to improvise, adapt and overcome, and with this 21st century - with how fast technology progresses - we need to be adapting as fast as we can and that’s where our team excels.

I think the biggest takeaway from IdeaPOP! is how much I’ve grown! When identifying the social issue, I had to work closely with my team to discuss and search for answers together. That process helped us learn, grow, and face challenges as a team.

Our final goal for IdeaPOP! is to collaborate with many of these professionals and eye centres. Perhaps we can turn our solution into an NGO and help more people.

Once we stepped onto the IdeaPOP!'s stage, our mindset immediately shifted. While we might be more relaxed in daily settings, the moment we stood under the spotlight, we quickly switched into pitching mode and presented ourselves with a much more professional attitude.

I believe SEED’s Cloud Computing course is highly relevant to what I’m studying now: Data Science, Statistics, and Business Intelligence. In the past, I had no clear direction and just followed wherever my friends went. SEED helped me realize my genuine interest in IT and data analysis, and gave me a clear goal. From learning cost tracking to applying AI, it was the first time I truly felt capable of creating value for a business.

Joining SEED’s Cloud Computing course and Work Experience Program (WXP) gave me a chance to rediscover myself. I used to think I only liked math and wanted to become a teacher, but through this experience, I realized I’m even more passionate about development and creation. More than just gaining skills, this journey helped me build the courage to face the unknown and strengthened my problem-solving abilities.

I had participated in similar design competitions before but it wasn’t until I joined the SEED course that I truly understood the importance of user needs. Knowing what users want and what challenges they might face is a key element in designing a successful product.

The SEED UX/UI instructors are really helpful and explain everything we need to know clearly. They guided us to better understand user needs, and through tools like the Empathy Map and User Flow, we were able to develop our final prototype step by step.

To me, SEED Fellows is a truly fruitful and meaningful community. I’ve taken part in events like their film screening and the DSE cheering campaign, which gave me the chance to meet people from different backgrounds who share similar interests. It really helped me expand my social circle. At the same time, this experience helped me understand the true meaning of “community” — that a group of strangers can come together and form a close-knit, supportive network through a shared connection

I believe the greatest takeaway from joining SEED Fellows was expanding my professional network. Even after the course ended, SEED continued to organize various activities for us to participate in. During this time, I had the opportunity to work as a student teaching assistant and, by chance, got to know one of the SEED lecturers, Sam. He gave me a lot of valuable advice regarding both my studies and career, and these experiences have been incredibly helpful to me.

I joined SEED Fellows through the IdeaPOP competition. At the time, I was still in a “nurtured” role, receiving a lot of guidance and support from teachers and mentors. After the competition ended, I wanted to switch roles and become someone who actively gives back—sharing my experiences with new students and offering them help whenever I can.

Being part of the SEED Fellows program has been a valuable opportunity for me. Not only did it allow me to serve as a student teaching assistant, supporting and giving back to junior students but it also gave me a chance to revisit and reinforce my own knowledge. I used to think that studying computer engineering would only lead to programming-related careers. However, my experience as a SEED student TA has opened up new perspectives. I've come to realize that teaching can also be a meaningful and rewarding career path.

The one-month workplace experience was truly incredible, and I’m deeply grateful for such a rare and valuable opportunity. In addition to learning how to collaborate effectively with a team, I also acquired a range of practical skills. The entire journey was both fulfilling and challenging, leaving me excited about what lies ahead in my future development. I had the chance to be involved in various types of tasks, which significantly enhanced my hands-on experience. I became more proficient in using Excel to organize and analyze data, and I also learned to use Visio to create organizational charts, improving my ability to visualize information. What excited me the most was my first attempt at using VBA to write automation scripts. I helped the team build an employee cost system—an extremely practical and challenging task that taught me a lot. This experience has not only enriched my skill set but also given me a more comprehensive understanding of the workplace. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned in my future studies and career, continuing to grow and striving toward greater goals.

After taking the SEED Cloud Computing course, I changed my career goal from originally aspiring to become a doctor or a lawyer to hoping to work in a cloud technology company in the future. This course opened my eyes to a field I had never imagined could be so interesting and full of potential. I especially enjoy using cloud technologies to build my own website — the process is truly rewarding.

I didn’t come from an ICT background, but the SEED's cloud computing course provided clear guidance and patient instruction from the teachers, which allowed me to gradually acquire the necessary skills step by step. I also discovered what I'm good at when I was able to help others during the Cloud Computing course. The classes didn’t just teach us technical knowledge, they also taught us how to learn independently, how to find useful resources, and even encouraged us to revisit and improve our past projects. I also realized that entrepreneurship is more than just having a great idea after being placed at a start-up through SEED WXP. What touched me the most was that I could truly see my own progress, and I now feel much more confident about the future.

I've always hoped to create an app that helps visually impaired people shop more easily, and that's what inspired me to start learning about technology. When I first began exploring coding, SEED’s course gave me a solid digital foundation. It helped me better understand my future direction and confirmed my passion for pursuing a career in innovation and technology. SEED’s course may not be a lifelong companion, but it was definitely the starting point of something life-changing.

Through SEED, I had the opportunity to join a workplace experience program and took on advertising design tasks at a membership app company. The UX/UI course introduced me to the concept of Design Thinking, which was incredibly helpful during my WXP experience. I learned to approach design from the user’s perspective, and when creating promotional ads, I focused more on how to attract target users and making my designs more practical and relevant to real-world needs.

This workplace experience has redefined what 'IT in a company' means to me and I will definitely explore more along this direction as a career.

I have enjoyed very much along the progress, and I am now more confident in working as a team to accomplish a common goal.

From the Business Etiquette Workshop prior to the Workplace Experience, I got to learn more about the recruitment process of a company, useful interview skills and business etiquette in the workplace. These foundational skills are invaluable to me no matter what kind of jobs I will be pursuing in the future.