SST Inc.

Overview:
SST Inc. is the ICT talent development unit in SST. SST Inc. is an incubator that aims to nuture student employees in running technology start-ups to serve the community and better our world.

Employee 2022-2025:
In my first year of SST Inc., we had the choice to pick within iOS dev(Swift Storyboard), Android dev(Java), web dev(React Js). I selected iOS course to learn how to develop applications for iOS using Swift Storyboard since I had an Apple phone. Through the iOS course, I was introduced to the Swift programming language and the Xcode IDE.

In my second year, I could take both the React Js course and the Android course. Through the React Js course, I was introduced into languages such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript, which is powering the very website you are on. I was also of course introduced to the React framework, which is a library for building user interfaces. But most importantly, I was introduced to the Visual Studio Code IDE, which is the main IDE I use for most programming languages.

Through the Android course, I was introduced to the Java programming language and the Android Studio IDE. I was taught how to develop applications for Android using the layout editor for XML files and Java for the main functionality of the app.

[Exco] Chief Marketing Officer 2023-2024:
As the Chief Marketing Officer, I was in charge of managing the social media accounts of SST Inc. I also had to take part in presentations to external guests who visit SST Inc. to learn more about the unit and what we do.

[Exco] Vice-President:
As the Vice-President, I had to manage my Exco team and work closely with the President to ensure that SST Inc. runs smoothly and stays up to standard. Of course, as the Vice-President, I also had to take part in presentations to external guests.

House Committee

Overview:
In SST, we have 5 different houses(Green, Blue, Yellow, Red, and Black). There are many events which members of the house can participate in to earn house points for their house. For every class, there will be one representative for each house, known as SnW Reps. SnW Reps help the House Captains to organise events from time to time.

Outdoor Education Expedition 2024:
In Secondary 3, I was the SnW Rep for Green House. For all Secondary 3 SnW Reps, we had to plan an Outdoor Education Expedition for the Secondary 2 level. Outdoor Education Expedition is a 2-day overnight camp where Secondary 2 students will go on a walk from a set place to our school. For the batch we facilitated, we started from MacRitchie Reservoir. The Secondary 2 students were also split to their respective houses to foster bonding within the house.

With a given route, we had to plan group activities along the way for the Secondary 2 students. We also had to allocate the amount of House Points that they could earn from each activity. After the planning was done, we had to go on a recce to test and experience our own activites for ourselves, to ensure that the experience would be fun and engaging for the Secondary 2 students.

Our job was not yet done. We had to lead the Secondary 2 students in our respective houses through the whole expedition, facilitating the activites that were planned for them. When we arrived back in school, we had to ensure that the students were not doing anything dangerous while cooking their meals. Furthermore, we had to teach them how to pitch their tents and allocate them to their respective areas to pitch their tents. We stayed overnight with the students. On the second day, we mainly facilitated the activities planned for Day 2 and led the clean up.

Overall, it was a very fun experience for me and I would definitely do it again if I had the chance.

Perse Coding Challenge

Overview:
The Perse Coding Team Challenge is an international coding challenge held by The Perse School Cambridge. It consists of 2 rounds, with the first round being a qualifier and the second round being the final. The first round consists of a 40-minute timed challenge where teams of 1-2 have to solve up to 10 questions and gain as many points as possible. To qualify for the second round, teams must achieve distinction in Round 1 Pathfinder. The second, or final, round consists of a 1-hour timed challenge where teams of 1-3 have to solve up to 12 questions and gain as many points as possible.

Round 1 Merit 2023:
In Secondary 2, I participated in competition with a friend. Due to our limited knowledge in Python at the time, we were only able to solve about 5 questions in the first round, which unfortunately only landed us a Merit. Hence, we did not qualify for the second round.

Round 1 Merit 2024:
In Secondary 3, I participated in the competition once again, however, with a different friend. Since we were in the Computing+ applied subject, it was compulsory for us to take part in the competition. Since the competition was very early on in the year, we had picked up very little Python knowledge from our classes. Hence, we went in with whatever little knowledge we had and tried our best. Unfortunately, we were only able to achieve a Merit. This meant that I failed to qualify for the second round once again. However, we made a promise to each other that we would try again next year, and this time, we would qualify for the second round.

Round 1 Distinction 2025:
In Secondary 4, we participated in the competition again. However, we were better prepared this time. We had been learning Python for the past year through Computing+ classes and we had also been practicing our Python skills through LeetCode questions. In Round 1, we were able to solve almost all 10 questions, which of course, landed us a Distinction. This meant that we qualified for the second round.

Round 2 Final Distinction:
For the second round, we had to team up with a Secondary 3 junior as the amount of Secondary 4 students in one team for the second round was capped at 2. With our new team, we entered the second round. In the second round, we were able to solve about half of the questions. Although it was not up to our expectations, we were still able to achieve a Distinction in the second round. This was a great achievement for us as we had not only qualified for the second round, but also achieved a Distinction in the second round.

YBN CTF

Overview:
YBN CTF is an inaugural cybersecurity related capture-the-flag competition held by Yes But No, a group of CTF players comprimising of members from secondary schools, polytechnics, and junior colleges across Singapore. The competition consists of 2 rounds. The first round is a 2-day online competition where teams of 1-4 have to solve as many questions as possible within the time limit. The first round is also the qualifier for the second round. The top 10 teams in the qualifier will have the opportunity to compete in the finals.

Round 1 Participation:
I participated in the CTF with 3 other friends. Due to my limited knowledge in cybersecurity at the time, I joined the CTF for fun and to experience what a CTF was like. During the CTF, I was surprisingly able to solve quite a few questions. However as expected, we did not achieve top 10 and did not qualify for the finals. Through YBN CTF, I was introduced to cybersecurity and CTFs, which started my journey in CTFs.

WhatTheHack

Overview:
WhatTheHack is a hardware and software hackathon held by SUTD. Engineers, creators and designers collaborate in a group of 3-5 to make innovative solutions to meaningful real-world problems in 2 days.

WhatTheHack 2024:
I participated in WhatTheHack 2024 with 3 other friends. There were 4 categories to choose from, which were Circular Economy & Sustainable Living, Healthcare & Accessibility, Everyday Automation, and Reducing Inequalities. We chose the category of Reducing Inequalities.

After brainstorming for a while, we decided to make a software that would help to detect text with discriminatory language against minor groups. This brings us to our solution: RAYdar. RAYdar is an AI-powered Chrome extension that detects how offensive a text is and notifies the user if a message that is being sent is offensive.

Unfortunately, as we were against much more experienced teams such as University students, we did not win any prizes. However, WhatTheHack was a great experience and introduced me to the world of hackathons.

SUTD-SST Big D Camp

Overview:
SUTD-SST Big D Camp is a 3-day camp and competition held by SUTD in collaboration with SST as part of our discover week program for Integrated Diploma Program students. The camp aims to teach us new skills such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and soldering, as well as to develop and further our skills in programming and electronics with Arduino.

3rd Place Big D Camp 2025:
For Big D Camp, we were split by the teachers into groups of 4. The theme of the competition was Post-Disaster Management. The context was that after disasters strike, there will be way too much debris that will cost too much time and manpower to clear. Hence, we are required to design and build a robot that can collect simulated debris. The camp also provided lessons that taught us how to use 3D printers, laser cutters, and soldering tools. We also had a mentor from SUTD who could help us if we needed any. We were given a budget of SGD50 to obtain whatever materials we needed on top of a RC Kit provided by SUTD.

Our idea for the robot was a 4-wheel drive robot with a attachment that could push the debris to the collection area. 4-wheel drive was chosen as it could traverse uneven terrain better than 2-wheel drive based on the given context. Furthermore, 4-wheel drive would give the robot alot more power than a 2-wheel drive robot. Since it was compulsory to use remote control for the robot, we used a HC-05 bluetooth module to connect the Arduino to an application on an Android phone. The attachment was like a bulldozer blade that could push the debris to the collection area.

However, through testing, we discovered that if we stopped the robot after pushing the debris, the debris would roll out of the attachment. Hence, we modified the attachment to include a rubber band at the entrance to serve as a restriction to prevent the debris from rolling out of the attachment. This worked well and we were able to push the debris to the collection area without any issues.

For the competition on the last day, the first round included a time limit of 3-minutes where we had to collect as many debris as possible with help from another team. The top 4 teams in the first round would qualify for the finals. In the finals, we could team up with a team of our choice to collect as many debris as possible within a time limit of 3-minutes. After that, we would compete with that chosen team to see who could collect the most debris. In conclusion, to achieve 1st place, you would have to be top 4 in the first round, win the other pair in the finals, and finally, win your chosen team.

For the first round, my team's robot ran smoothly and we were able to collect most of the debris in the field. We even managed to obtain 1st in the first round. For the finals, we teamed up with the 3rd place team. We were feeling pretty confident as we had the best robot in the competition so far.

However, I was blinded by my overconfidence. During the finals, I missed out on some debris in the corner that I could not see. This one mistake led us to tie with the other team pair. Although our raw score was higher than the other pair, we were deducted points for readjusting the robot, which made us tie with the other pair. Due to the lack of time, we were unable to have a tiebreaker. Hence, the gamemaster had to make a decision: Should my team pair or the other team pair fight for 1st place? In the end, the gamemaster decided to let the other team pair fight for 1st place as we had readjusted our robot, which was not feasible in a real-life scenario.

Although I eventually obtained 3rd place, it was a very disappointing outcome for me as we really believed that we could have won the competition. This competition really taught me a lesson that I should stay humble and not be overconfident, especially when victory is not guaranteed yet.

National Software Competition

Overview:
National Software Competition is a national level software development competition by Singapore Polytechnic. It is a 3-day hackathon where we have to develop a software solution to the given problem statement and with the programming language of their choice. The first 2 days are for the development of the application, while the last day is judging and presentation. The competition is open to all secondary schools in Singapore.

1st Place NSC 2025:
I entered the competition with 3 other friends. The theme given for is SG60 as Singapore is reaching its 60th Year of Independence in 2025. The programming language selected was Swift, which we already had some experience with fortunately.

With the given theme, we decided to make a one-stop application for SG60 related things. This brings us to our app: SG60 Portal. SG60 portal has features such a timeline to show all significant events in Singapore's history, a virtual photobooth with a custom designed SG60 prop, a page that shows all upcoming community events, a tinder-like page to learn more about Singapore's culture such as movies, food etc., a countdown to National Day, an AI-powered trivia chatbot, and finally an account system with achievements to engage the public.

With the numerous features in our app, it really was a one-stop app. Unlike other teams which built apps that are focused onto a certain function, we had a generalised app that everyone could use. Furthermore, with our presentation skills acquired through the uncountable amount of presentations SST had put us through, we definitely had an edge over other teams. In the end, we achieved 1st place and had the opportunity to present about our application at the Apple Developer Center.

SST CTF

Overview:
SST CTF is a cybersecurity related capture-the-flag held by a group of students in SST. It is a 1-day CTF where teams of 1-4 have to complete as many questions as possible within the time limit.

1st Place SST CTF 2025:
I participated in SST CTF with 3 other friends. With my new knowledge in cybersecurity after participating in YBN CTF, I was able to contribute more to my team. Through the efforts of our team, we solved nearly all of the questions. In the last hour, the leaderboard was frozen to make the CTF more intense. This means that you cannot keep track of your current placing in the last hour. However, we solved two more questions in the last hour which solidified our placing. In the end, we achieved 1st place. This was a great achievement for me as this win showed me that I did indeed learn from YBN CTF and could apply my knowledge.

2024 S3 IDP IEP Jakarta

Overview:
In Secondary 3, students in the Integrated Diploma Program were given the opportunity to go on a Overseas Learning Experience to Jakarta, Indonesia. We also participated in an exchange program with Bina Bangsa School in Jakarta. We got to meet the students there and experienced what learning is like in their school. We also had a research project with our buddies to compare the air quality between Singapore and Indonesia. Overall, the OLE allowed me to experience Indonesia and their school life there.

#Project SF 2025

Overview:
#Project SF is a Overseas Learning Experience where outstanding companies and employees in SST Inc. who participated in Project Serve are given the opportunity to go to Silicon Valley in San Francisco to visit companies and experience the work culture in SF.

#Project SF 2025:
For #Project SF 2025, we visited notable companies such as Fortinet, Ironclad, Porsche Digital and Oracle. They presented to us about their companies and gave us valuable insights regarding their careers in SF.

Furthermore, we also visited universities such as Stanford University and UC Berkeley. At the universities, we had the opportunity to talk with the Singaporeans who were currently studying there. They also shared their story as to why they decided to enroll into these universities so far away from Singapore. They also provided some advice for our future.

We also went to some events such as DeveloperWeek where we could see new and upcoming companies at the conference and network with them.

Overall, #Project SF 2025 was an extremely insightful and valuable opportunity for me as I could visit and learn more about the work culture and school culture in San Francisco, which is very unlike Singapore.