One Sneak Peek Into The Thoughts of an Aspiring Innovator

Whenever I asked my friends in Junior College which university they were aiming to enter, most of them would reply with either the “Big 3” local universities or certain overseas universities.

Except for Aaron, whom I met at a networking event for young entrepreneurs.

He is currently an undergraduate at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

He also happens to be one of the few recipients of the prestigious SUTD-Technology and Entrepreneurship Programme scholarship and is currently the outgoing president and co-founder of the SUTD Entrepreneurship, Venture and Enterprise Network.

Here are some things I learnt from our short conversation together:

1. Pursue what you think interests you and will aid your ambitions the most, instead of what everyone else around you is doing.

Aaron chose to pursue a degree in SUTD, unlike most young junior college graduates that I know personally.

He said, “I did so because I liked the SUTD pedagogy of a project-based curriculum. I find a lot of value in interdisciplinary learning and applying for the scholarship felt like a natural next step for me, as I was part of Raffles Invent, a tech entrepreneurship programme back in Raffles Institution.

The East-Meets-West vision of SUTD also gave me opportunities to travel to both China and the United States, something which I appreciated a lot.”

“The learning journey in SUTD is very self-directed. It provides you with the tools that allow you to explore your own projects, which are supported in terms of funding and networks. Our programme is also not very academically focused, which might be a plus for some students.”

2. Create the environment/community that you want to be a part of

“After COVID, there was a bit of disconnect between the different batches of SUTD students.

As we are a small school, we need to keep a lookout for each other. But it was very hard to meet people in person back then due to the pandemic.

Starting SEVEN was a good way to connect the academic aspect of STEP with the venture and entrepreneurship arm of SUTD. It was born out of necessity, and allowed me to carry the SUTD name far.”

3. Put yourself out there and make friends

Aaron encourages all young entrepreneurs to cultivate a strong support network.

“Try to make friends with people from other universities, especially with computer science and engineering students.

Meet as many people as you can and make things happen together, “ he advised.

P.S. Before we end today’s sharing, Aaron would like to give a shoutout to his co-founder and vice-president of SEVEN, Lee Yan Han.

Connect with Aaron here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarontzy/

And that is all for today’s One Sneak Peek Into.

Stay tuned for more insights from our interview series as we continue to explore the stories of trailblazers breaking barriers and redefining success.