Nanyang Technological University

I strongly believe in designing for a good cause and aspire to become the voice of organisations and communities, effectively communicating their messages to their target audience. I am steadily but surely taking steps towards achieving my goal of being my own voice and becoming part of the voice of a bigger community.

How has volunteering shaped me?
I have been an active volunteer for six years. I have volunteered with several local and overseas projects, including Project 100=50, Willing Hearts, Meals on Wheels, YMCA, Lion-Befriender, and Youth Expedition Chiang Rai Project 2019. I also worked at ACTSMarket in 2019, a social enterprise empowering underprivileged in India, Thailand, and Cambodia. In recognition of my outstanding contributions to community service, I was awarded Wee Cho Yaw Future Leaders Award to pursue my degree at NTU.

How have I contributed to society?
“Voice of Me”
As a digital artist (Doodle Turtlee), I strive to spread joy and kindness to the community through my art. I have collaborated in 1 co-curated fundraiser and organised 4 fundraising projects, donating 100% of the profits to respective charities.

Fundraisers
1. “Fu-riend in Need” initiative with Crater Singapore (2021 - Present) that aims to sustain Animal Lovers League’s operations affected by COVID-19.

2. Willing Hearts - “Spread Kindness, Show Appreciation” (2021) - Raised $107 donation.
To raise awareness on importance to show appreciation to our surroundings (e.g., family, neighbours, and essential workers) particularly during COVID-19.

3. Animal Lovers League (2021) - Raised $1,290 sales. 
4. Action for Singapore Dogs (2022) - Raised $1,890 donation.
5. Cat Welfare Society (2023) - Ongoing fundraiser.

Award recipient of Daikin's Design a Green Tee Contest (2022)
Winning design promotes the importance of going green and protecting the environment by showing that every action matters, including daily activities.

Australia Robert Menzies College Giving Day (2022)
Participated in donation drive during Semester Exchange in Sydney.

“A part of the Voice of NTU Welfare Services Club (WSC)”
2020 - Present: Publicity and Publication (PnP), Design and Media Development Division
The projects and publicity campaigns aimed to promote the spirit of volunteerism among student bodies and external stakeholders. As the Design Director in 2021, I led a team on various projects, including the Migrant Workers Day Carnival, Operation Hope Caregivers Appreciation, Social Impact Week, and StandOUT Magazine. During Social Impact Week 2022, I oversaw PnP's fundraiser, and our team raised $3,500 within two weeks to support WSC's community service initiatives.

“A part of the Voice of Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth”
2021: Resilience and Engagement Division
Supporting SG Cares and @our_sg to educate, inspire, and engage citizens on the value of kindness and the importance of volunteerism.

1. Hobbies for Good
To inspire individuals by featuring interviews with people who have made unique contributions to society. 

2. Self-care Weeks
To help Singaporeans overcome the isolation and challenges posed by COVID-19.

Present (2023): Corporate Communication Division
Delivering messaging of initiatives and public education programmes to the public and key stakeholder.

1. ASEAN Para Games 2023
To inspire individuals that passion can overcome all odds, raise appreciation for parasports and Team Singapore representatives.

2. SGinHarmony 2023
To educate citizens on the importance of racial and religious harmony in achieving social cohesion in Singapore, fostering trust and connection that can lead to a better society.

My voice does not stop here, it will only grow stronger and louder. Social responsibility is not just about big projects or volunteering; it's part of our daily lives. Every action matter, and every act of kindness contributes to a better community and environment.

Press Release:

• NTU Hey! Magazine Feature: https://www.hey.ntu.edu.sg/2022/04/02/drawn-to-digital-art/
• “Fu-riend in Need” initiative with Crater Singapore: https://guub.day/collections/do_turtlee
  

• Doodle Turtlee’s Customer Feature: https://www.lemon8-app.com/_meowtales/7158137503537512962?region=us
• Robert Menzies College Giving Day: https://charidy.com/rmc
• Daikin Singapore’s Design a Green Tee Contest: https://www.daikin.com.sg/csr-activity/design-a-green-tee-contest/w

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During my time in NTU as an undergraduate, I played an active role within the communities I was involved in. I am proud to have had the opportunities to do so in different means – let me describe three such activities that I have undertaken:

President of 180 Degrees Consulting Singapore (Nanyang), AY 2022/2023

180 Degrees Consulting is a global student-led pro-bono consulting club. The Nanyang branch consists of likeminded NTU students who are passionate about consulting while giving back to the community through local and regional projects.

Prior to my presidency term, I was an active student consultant with the club and worked alongside non-profit organisations (NPOs) and social enterprises to help them solve various problems they face. As the 3rd President of the newly formed branch in NTU, I have had the meaningful opportunity to facilitate conversations between more of such organisations and the student body in NTU. I cherish the many opportunities working with various organisations in the South East Asia region and learning more about their social causes. Some of the notable projects that the club has overseen during my term include:

• Helped an overseas humanitarian NPO improve their volunteer recruitment and fundraising strategies
• Helped an Indonesian NPO serving children with cancer enhance their fundraising and merchandise sales efforts
• Helped a Singaporean organisation serving the migrant worker population enhance their partnership strategies
• Helped a Singaporean NPO providing career education and counselling programmes to students enhance their outreach and student recruitment

Exco Member of NTU Co-Op, AY 2021/2022

Established in 2015, NTU Co-op is the very first student-led cooperative business in Singapore. It aims to foster the spirit of entrepreneurship by providing NTU students with opportunities to take up managerial roles in running a business.

As the Head of Brand, I focused on expanding the outreach of the business to both students and customers. By collaborating with various student groups and hosting a series of campaigns during the school term (e.g. T-shirt Design Competition, Merchandises Giveaways), we were able to gain traction and increased the visibility of our business. In doing so, we were able to provide students with valuable entrepreneurial experience while also serving the needs of the NTU community.

President of Nanyang Business School Rush Orientation Programme, AY 2020/2021

During my term, my team and I organised NBS’ first fully virtual orientation programme for nearly 200 freshmen. Even with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to create a warm and welcoming environment for the incoming undergraduates while adhering to strict safety protocols.

In addition to the virtual orientation programme, we also organised a CSR event in collaboration with the Brickland Community Centre. Seniors students came together to source, prepare, and distribute welfare packs, to the elderly and less privileged of the Brickland Community. This event not only allowed us to give back to the wider Singapore community but also helped to instill a sense of responsibility and empathy in our senior students.

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I entered university knowing that I would be involved in various and all sorts of activities; volunteering and giving back to the community being one of them. From young, my parents had instilled in me a sense of responsibility and respect, and I had volunteered in Old Folks Homes such as Lee Ah Mooi’s Old Folks Home. From then on, I did voluntary work, participated in other co-curricular activities that allowed for me to grow, meet people, and help them. Amongst these would be my voluntary experience in St John’s Brigade. In NBS, I continued with various activities both inside and outside of university within my capacity as the previous Co-chairperson of Inflammare and also outside of the role and position.

Notable Activities
Brickland Cares
Inflammare always had the tradition of giving back to society and doing welfare events. We then partnered with Roteract Club for the Brickland Constituency Festive Pack Project – Packing and distributing food necessities to rented flats and lower income residents and elderly in Choa Chu Kang. The project was discussed with the previous chairs of Inflammare before proceeding. This project ended up providing welfare for the elderly. This project also seeks to provide positive energy to the family as we prepare to welcome another year full of uncertainty yet so full of hope.

Brickland Festive Cheers
Brickland Festive Cheers was a similar project, with the same partners in order to spread festive cheer and joy to the residents of the Brickland community. Oranges, food, hand sanitizers and caps were given out in as part of the festive welfare pack. Various items were also donated and bought in add onto the welfare pack. Education of the ugly vegetables was mainly carried out by Roteract Club to the children of the families, teaching the next generation about the need for sustainability as well as food security. This also showcases the fact that ugly vegetables, whilst not the prettiest in nature, are still as delicious as every other vegetable being sold. Through this small act of providing the festive packs, we hope to not only spread joy especially during the festive season but also provide a learning point for both our beneficiaries and also our participants.

Kayak’N’Klean
Conducted by NBS and Passion WaVe, the Kayak’N’Klean activity was a kayaking session around Jurong Lake Gardens with a twist; and that was to pick up the trash that was polluting our reservoirs. The objective of this activity was to showcase environmental issue and water pollution even in the seemingly clean waters of Singapore. This activity was great as it was a physical activity that taught us about pollution and yet it was fun and meaningful at the same time.

Outside Volunteering
I also volunteer outside at Shan You wellness community. This volunteering was done to provide the elderly and lower income residents with festive cheer, during Chinese New year, Hari Raya and other festive holidays. I donated some necessities and money of my own, helped out and gave out meals, sing, interacted with the elderly to give back to the community. Interacting with them taught me about their perspectives of live and learn about the lives they have led and the struggles they might face. However, seeing the joy on their face at the end of the day is always worth it at the end.

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Throughout my candidature at NBS, I actively participated in the NBS rush orientation for two consecutive years. This immersive experience called orientation served as the first point of contact for freshmen, shaping their initial impressions and expectations of university life. Understanding the significance of this pivotal moment, I aimed to make their start at the university both enjoyable and memorable.

Volunteering Experiences:
During the planning process for the orientation events, I realized that we had an incredible opportunity not only to give back to the school but also to the wider community. This led to a collaboration with the Brickland Youth Network, where I and 32 fellow volunteers took part in packing and distributing Chinese New Year (CNY) hampers. These hampers contained essential food items and medical supplies, ensuring that underprivileged families could fully enjoy the festivities of CNY. Witnessing the gratitude and joy on the recipients' faces was an incredibly rewarding experience.

The volunteering event that resonates with me the most is the one organized by ABC for underprivileged students. During this event, I had the privilege of being in charge of a small group of students, some of whom faced intellectual challenges. One particular incident broke my heart. In a game of scissors-paper-stone, the child with an intellectual disability always threw his choice last as he wanted to win the game, leading to his exclusion from the group. It went against the purpose of the event, which was to ensure that all the children felt welcomed and enjoyed themselves.

Motivated by the desire to create an inclusive environment, I decided to modify the game. I introduced a rule where both players would play blindfolded, making it impossible for the child to know the opponent's choice. This adjustment allowed him to participate without feeling ostracized, and he began to truly enjoy the game. Witnessing his joy and gradual opening up to me and the other children filled my heart with happiness.

This experience reinforced my belief in the importance of adapting activities to cater to the unique needs of individuals. It also reminded me of the power of empathy and understanding in creating an inclusive environment. Social responsibility extends beyond providing assistance; it involves actively promoting inclusivity and ensuring that everyone feels respected and valued.

These volunteering experiences have profoundly shaped my perspective on making a positive impact on society. They have taught me that even small gestures and modifications can create transformative moments for individuals facing challenges. By dedicating myself to causes that aim to uplift and support those who may face societal barriers or discrimination, I hope to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society.

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