Experiences
My journey through NUS Overseas Colleges, co-curricular activities, and hackathons.
NUS Overseas Colleges: Silicon Valley
NOC SV 2025 - A Year of Entrepreneurship and Adventures
The year was incredible for both personal and professional development. Living in San Francisco meant living and breathing Silicon Valley's culture of innovation, creativity and growth. I'm grateful for the many wonderful people I met — my supervisor and colleagues, friends made through the NOC program, and innovators from all walks of life. We don't grow alone; we grow in rooms filled with people who challenge us, reflect the truth back to us and remind us of what's possible.
Interning at Workstream
My internship was a chance to ship real product in the heart of the Valley. I learned to choose work with intention, knowing that purpose is a great motivator and a guardrail against burnout. Understanding value exchange in working relationships also stood out: knowing what people give you and what you give in return isn't transactional. Instead, it's a way to manage expectations and curb disappointment. I'm grateful to my gracious supervisor and colleagues for the guidance and the room to grow.
Studying at Stanford University
Studying at Stanford, albeit for a short period of time, put me in the same ecosystem as founders, researchers and builders. Balancing coursework with internship and NOC commitments reinforced something I kept hearing: be confident in what you know, and what you don't. Not knowing isn't failure; it's the start of learning. That mindset made the year a continuous stretch, and it reignited my passion for picking up new tools and ideas. It also inspired my goal to ideate, innovate and iterate.
Travelling and Exploring the World
Beyond the desk and the classroom, the year was about saying yes. I co-planned the welcome party for incoming NOC students in Silicon Valley (a chance to pay forward the support I'd received) and to build connections that last. I attended events like the Pacific Hackers Association gathering at the Google SF Office and took on hackathons like HackMIT and HackPrinceton. Sometimes the best opportunities come when you push past hesitation. Keep trying, keep learning, keep experiencing.
Learning points from the year
- Be confident in what you know — and what you don't. Not knowing isn't failure; it's the start of learning. Tackling imposter syndrome can seem daunting, but humility can often breed confidence and growth.
- Understand value exchange in working relationships. Know what you give and receive, not as a transaction, but to manage expectations and curb disappointment. The heart of networking is genuine interest and curiousity. Even if you can't offer experience (just yet), you can make up for it in perspective.
- Know when it's time to leave. When it's no longer fun, growth is gone and your gut won't sit still — it's scary, but some situations call for doing it scared.
- Protect your health, diet and sleep while you work hard. Obvious, and often ignored.
- “Don't be afraid of the branch breaking — trust your wings.”
Co-curricular Activities
Women in Tech @ NUS
WiT Tea Podcast
Along with friends, we cofounded the Women in Tech (WiT) Tea Podcast where we invite tech industry professionals to share about their career journey, challenges and advice.
Listen to PodcastFireside Chats with Entrepreneurs
I had the amazing opportunity to attend fireside chats with amazing entrepreneurs, not only through Women in Tech but also my module CP2201: Journey of an Innovator. Their life experiences and goals have motivated me to find something I'm as passionate about.
Hackathons
HackMIT 2025
Built Lexipic — a mobile language-learning app that uses the camera to recognize objects in real time and quiz you on their names in the language you're learning. Built with Expo and React Native.
View full project detailsHackPrinceton Spring 2025
Built VibeEase — a mobile app prototype for real-time conversation pairing to enable efficient, in-depth and instant social connection. Used Knot and Google's Gemini API; first time working with Expo, React Native and mobile frontend.
View on DevpostNinjaVan Code Dojo Hackathon 2023
My team and I participated in the NinjaVan Code Dojo hackathon, where we were tasked to come up with a solution to improve operations over 36 hours. We focused on their venture into livestream sales and designed an improved version of their web application and dashboard.