Computer Science amazes me as it encompasses logical and systematic workings to carry out tasks at a speed and efficiency beyond an individual’s ability. With its foundation in Mathematics and logic, I thoroughly enjoy the process of programming as it provides a constant challenge to my problem solving and logical thinking abilities, whilst its application empowers me with the capacity to provide innovative solutions to real-world problems. I find joy in creation. Having mainly worked with physical mediums such as wood and 3D printing, I first experienced the beauty of programming when I observed the workings of an Arduino irrigation system. I was amazed by the practical application of programming and the creative interplay between hardware and software.

This inspired me to pick up programming and as I delved deeper, I fell in love with the versatility of programming,where I can create beyond the limitation of resources. I am passionate about learning. Having developed a flair for mathematics and physics from a young age, I have taken opportunities to challenge myself beyond the curriculum by participating actively in competitions such as Singapore Math Olympiad and Singapore Youth Physicist Tournament. Both of these subjects taught me how to approach a problem in different ways and find different solutions, something I now do in programming. In my high school years, I participated in the Science Mentorship Programme, where I worked with defence engineers to develop an orbital decay program to predict the lifetime of satellites using Python 3. 5 on Spyder. I also embarked on a year-long research project with the Bioinformatics Institute where I investigated and compared the abilities of exp3 algorithm and humans in solving the multi-armed bandit problem. Such opportunities challenged my problem solving and self-learning abilities and taught me how to communicate effectively with various personalities. Having to juggle both academic commitments with research work, I developed an organised and healthy work style that ensures that I can complete all my work while having spare time to pursue other hobbies. To hone my programming skills, I participated in 2 hackathons held by local universities, winning second in one of them. My team and I built a Telegram bot that allows players to play Dungeons and Dragons on the go and a website that rents bandwidth for money. I enjoy the process of hackathons – everything from the quick firing of ideas, the collaborative atmosphere to the immense satisfaction one experiences after a successful debug. I love the adrenaline of flipping through documentations, learning new knowledge and applying them to pull together a final product in just 24 hours. After taking part in a workshop by Deep Learning Institute, I have taken an interest in machine learning. I am on the early stages of developing a machine learning model for sign language interpretation on OpenCV. My passion in computer science has allowed me to work and foster friendships with a myriad of amazingly talented people. I realised the importance of collaboration and strongly believe that the best ideas come from the minds of many. With the aim of building a collaborative and inclusive environment rooted in the members’ love for computer science, I co-founded my school’s Computing and Robotics Club.

After being elected as the president, I worked with my team to build the club from scratch. The club now has 55 members aged 16 -18 that meet twice a week to share their skills and collaborate on different projects. To spread the joy of creation, I also worked with my school to convert an empty room into a fully equipped and self-sustaining MakerSpace which now reliably provides hardware services to the school population. I will bring my enthusiasm and dedication to all aspects of my university life and I look forward to being stretched beyond my comfort zone in the amazing realm of Computer Science.