The Infocomm
Development Authority
of Singapore (IDA) takes
pride in developing
tomorrow’s technology
and grooming the next
generation of infocomm
leaders. Two Scholars
tell us how they have
realised their potential
with the National
Infocomm Scholarship
(NIS) offered by IDA.
IDA aims to develop a vibrant infocomm
ecosystem in Singapore’s technology-driven
society, and one of the ways it does
so is to partner with educational institutions
and infocomm organisations to nurture the
potential of infocomm talent in Singapore.
One prominent aspect of this initiative is
the National Infocomm Scholarship (NIS),
which brings to life aspiring scholars' dreams
of shaping and leading tomorrow’s infocomm
technology industry. The NIS offers endless
unique and exciting routes and careers at
promising organisations that mould and
develop the minds of tomorrow’s infocomm
leaders.
We sit down with National Infocomm
Overseas Scholar Amanda Chew and National
Infocomm Fast Track Bachelors-Masters
Scholar Chloe Lim to find out how their fruitful
scholarship journeys have brought them a
lifetime of opportunities and groomed them
to become valuable players in the infocomm
technology industry today.
Tell us more about your key roles
and responsibilities.
Chloe Lim: As an Associate Consultant with
IDA, I am currently involved in mobile app
development and am currently working on a
bus service app aimed at private bus operators.
It aims to collate information from different bus
operators and present this information for the
convenience of commuters – hopefully, this
can lead to a solution that will help ease the
morning rush hour traffic crunch.
I was also recently appointed the lead of
a new team for our security chapter that
will explore solutions and partnerships with
external teams to address the security needs of
our apps now and in the future.
Amanda Chew
National Infocomm Scholarship (Overseas)
Designation:
Inside Sales Account Specialist, Microsoft
Studied:
Bachelor of Science in
Mathematics – Computer Science,
Brown University, US
"It’s important to possess the boldness to dream big and understand that there are no limits to technology – with it, you can and will create the future."
Amanda Chew: As an Inside Sales Account
Specialist in Microsoft’s Enterprise and Partner
Group (EPG), customers are at the forefront of
my work. I focus very much on serving their
product, technical and licensing needs. I have
to come up with the best solutions to fulfil my customers' needs, and this has often required
me to manage my accounts via the phone
while orchestrating entire sale processes from
beginning to end.
As you can see, my work is very different from
Chloe's and I believe this in itself demonstrates
the flexibility that encompasses the NIS.
Share with us some highlights of
your overseas NIS scholarship
journey.
Chloe: At Carnegie Mellon University, I
attended an education technology class
where we developed a personalised online
learning program or Cognitive Tutor, which is
an intelligent tutoring system that models the
learning process of students – for instance,
it will assess students' answers to various
academic assignment questions and provide
immediate feedback based on the accuracy
of these answers. We also programmed our
Cognitive Tutor to help students discover
formulas on their own while scaffolding the
process by providing feedback that will best suit
each student’s individual level of competency,
and I found the entire concept very intriguing
and fascinating.
Amanda: My time at Brown University in the
US was particularly memorable because I was
able to meet and study alongside like-minded
individuals from all over the world, even though
we came from different backgrounds and had
different ways of realising our goals. During
my time at Brown, I also did international
internships in Nairobi, Kenya and Istanbul,
Turkey. I benefitted immensely from my time
in these countries, where I taught 3D Computer
Animation in the slums of Kenya and created
a mobile application that allowed Kenyans to
crowd-source and democratise information.
These global experiences and interactions
with diverse individuals really made my learning
journey wholesome and special.
How have you grown from your
journey living and studying
abroad?
Chloe: My scholarship journey has honed my
expertise in the infocomm industry in so many
exciting ways. Although I am still learning the
ropes here, the exposure gained, foundations
built and friendships forged during my journey
have made me love what I do even more. I
have definitely become more independent too
– being many miles away from the comfort
zone of Singapore, I realised there were pre-existing
support systems of family and friends
that I sometimes took for granted. Living alone
in the US during my studies has made me
more appreciative of the people around me
and helped me grow in managing household
matters.
Chloe Lim
National Infocomm Scholarship (Fast Track Bachelors-Masters)
Designation:
Associate Consultant, IDA
Studied:
Master of Information Security
Policy and Management, Carnegie
Mellon, Heinz College, US
Bachelor of Business Management/
Bachelor of Science
Information Systems Management(Double Major),
Singapore Management University
Amanda: After living and working in Africa,
Europe, Asia and North America, I have learnt to
take the best practices and unique perspectives
of these cultures and apply it to life. This
helps me to be nimble and open-minded when
approaching any task, and I have taken care
to apply this mindset to both my work and
personal life. Most importantly, I cherish the
international friendships I have forged and the
lessons I have learnt from my friends.
My experiences across four different
continents have become one of the most
defining episodes in my life, and it has without
doubt made me a better-rounded person.
What words of wisdom do you have
for aspiring national infocomm
scholars?
Chloe: Aspiring scholars should never be
discouraged from joining this industry just
because you lack background knowledge. You
will be provided with opportunities to gain the
necessary skills and knowledge along the
way, just like I was. If the infocomm industry
fascinates you, the NIS might just be the
choice for you – a stepping stone that makes
a difference in your life and also enables you
to make a worthwhile difference in the lives of
others through technology!
Amanda: In the technology sector, the
best qualities I’ve seen in people who thrive
in this environment are boldness, agility and
persistence. It’s important to possess the
boldness to dream big and understand that
there are no limits to technology – with it, you
can and will create the future. Furthermore,
the agility and open-mindedness to adapt
to the fast-paced changes and trends and
the persistence to push ahead in the face of
obstacles will stand you in good stead in this
rapidly evolving industry.
A career in the technology industry is no walk
in the park. It requires hard work and discipline
in order to excel, and I truly believe that there is
no better place to begin your career than with
NIS.