A thirst for learning, adaptability, an open mind and, lastly, having mentors and role models early on in life are the secrets to riding the Tech Waves, as shared by four alumnae at the “Celebrating CoDE Women Riding | The Waves of Tech” on 26 July held at NUS College of Design and Engineering.
On stage are Associate Professor Teo Chiang Juay, Dean of CDE Professor Aaron Thean, Ar. Rita Soh, Dr Viveka Kalidasan, Ms Hwang Yu-Ning, Associate Professor Kua Harn Wei, Associate Professor Ong Soh Khim with Ms Sharon Ko who joined in virtually.
Learn and be curious
The first speaker of the event Ms Hwang Yu-Ning, Chief Planner & Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) Class of 1994) has a motto in life: “Learn and be curious”. When she first joined the workforce, technology in her field was still relatively new. Her curiosity and eagerness to learn led her to pick up new technology skills which she used to establish the URA Digital Planning Lab.
Keep being enthusiastic
Learning is about being enthusiastic about life as clearly evident from the presentation by Dr Viveka Kalidasan, Head of Let-Lab Singapore and Senior Manager at UCT Singapore (Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Materials Science and Engineering (Biomaterials) Class of 2017).) She shared how technology could empower women and address women’s health issues. Viveka strongly believes that more female role models and mentors are needed to nurture empathetic leaders in future generations.
Be the agent of change
Ms Rita Soh, Managing Director, RDC Architects Pte Ltd, (Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) Class of 1987) sees herself as an agent of change. When people say, “You can’t do this”, her response is not to give up but ask “Why not?” When technology capabilities were limited, she created a platform for training to fill the gap.
Don’t let setbacks stop you
You wouldn’t have guessed that Ms Sharon Ko (Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) Class of 2017) was a distracted student who lost focus in her studies and did not get achieve a good GPA score. That setback taught her to learn from that lesson and pick herself up to move on to bigger things. When an opportunity arose to work in a relatively unknown field of Cybersecurity, she did not let her lack of technology skills stop her. Instead, she looked at it from another angle and worked out a way to contribute. Now as a Principal Product Manager at Microsoft based in Washington, U.S., she is happily living her dream of working overseas. She reminds us that we should look for opportunities amid adversity and persevere.
All speakers unanimously shared that having mentors and role models – people who believed in them – in their lives had helped to mould them and made them become who they are today.
Prof Kua Harn Wei, Vice Dean in Alumni and Relations, sums up the evening perfectly in his closing, “Lead Love Learn Look”. He reminded us to appreciate our difference and make our difference count. We should not shy away from adversity but pick ourselves up and go on.
The “secret code of women” is something we all can learn from, no matter our gender and walk of life.
Article from NUS College of Design and Engineering.
