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Two SITizens share their SIT experience and the various ways they’ve lived out the SIT-DNA.
School’s officially out for the Class of 2021 from Singapore Institute of Technology!
More than 2,000 graduates from 46 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes received their degree scrolls between 19 and 22 October. We congratulate all SITizens from the Class of 2021, and applaud their resilience and achievements!
We feature two SITizens to celebrate their success—and the various ways they’ve lived out the SIT-DNA.
Liu Qiumei
Bachelor of Science with Honours in Diagnostic Radiography
Qiumei with her eldest child, Reyler (Image credits: Liu Qiumei)
For Liu Qiumei, graduation season has been doubly meaningful. She got to commemorate this milestone with her eldest son, Reyler, who entered preschool at the same time she commenced her studies with SIT.
Qiumei also achieved Honours with highest distinction, a testament to her resilience and adaptability. The Diagnostic Radiographer chose to turn her interest in human anatomy into a career via the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP), after years spent in Banking and Finance.
“I like how different diagnostic techniques offer glimpses into the interior of the human body, and how the images captured are able to help medical professionals diagnose or treat an illness or injury,” Qiumei shares.
While it was hard work balancing studies and the needs of her family, Qiumei had a strong support system in the form of her husband, friends, and family. She quickly found her momentum despite finding it challenging to resume full-time studies after a long time—and went on to complete her honours thesis and IWSP while pregnant with her second son!
Qiumei says, “I truly believe that one’s success is never a result of one’s efforts alone, but due to the support of everyone around you.”
Other initial challenges included adjusting to life as a full-time student after being away from her books for close to a decade! At first, she found it difficult to study alongside a much younger cohort. However, she could integrate well by utilising her past work experience with former colleagues and interns younger than her. “The strong bonds I forged with a group of close friends in our Diagnostic Radiography course also made my SIT journey an enjoyable and successful one,” added Qiumei.
Qiumei (seated front row, centre), pictured with her two sons and her closest friends in SIT. Qiumei credits the strong bonds forged with the latter as instrumental to the success and enjoyment of her education journey. (Image credits: Liu Qiumei)
Qiumei’s capstone project was based on a systematic review (SR) update for DRLs in digital mammography. Proud to have the honour and opportunity to work with Professor Mark McEntee and Doctor Moayyad Suleiman, the authors of the original SR, Qiumei looks forward to seeing her contribution in a research journal when the paper is ready for publication.
Currently with the National Healthcare Group, Qiumei hopes to specialise and train in Computed Tomography (CT). Her zest for learning remains unabated.
“Through this PCP experience, I realised that I truly enjoy the process of learning and am now confident that I am able to strike a good work (study) life balance. As such, I am planning to pursue further studies when the opportunity arises,” she shares.
“My career aspiration is to be an exemplary radiographer. Apart from being skilled at taking and interpreting diagnostic quality images, I also hope to be recognised for providing quality patient care and safety. At the same time, I wish to inspire and serve as a role model for my juniors.”
Which SIT-DNA trait resonates with you the most? Qiu Mei: Of the four key traits of the SIT-DNA, I resonate the most with “Able to Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn”, which essentially means having the ability to embrace change through life-long learning. As clichéd as it may sound, change is indeed the only constant in life. Only through life-long learning, unlearning, and relearning are we able to stay on top of our game. We must be thinking tinkerers and catalysts for transformation, so as to apply our knowledge and skills to serve and strengthen the community that we live and work in. To achieve this, I plan to constantly strive for continual professional development opportunities above and beyond what is required. |
Nur Safarah Binte Zaharudin
Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services)
Safarah (back row, 2nd from right), with student facilitators and members of the Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering Student Management Committee (SIE-SMC) during Orientation Day. (Image credits: Nur Safarah Binte Zaharudin)
While Safarah hails from a family of engineers and engineers-to-be, she didn’t set out to become an engineer at the outset. The facility services engineer, who currently works at Alfa Tech Vestasia, shares that her interest in the field was piqued when facility management was covered in her polytechnic course.
“After my internship [in polytechnic], I decided to go into the building services industry to learn more about building systems and how to improve their efficiency. The sustainability part of [my] degree is a bonus as, with the ever-evolving industry, having the knowledge to run a sustainable building is good.”
After enrolling in SIT, Safarah studied hard and actively participated in school activities. She volunteered as a facilitator for several orientation events and served as the Student Management Committee President for her course; the SCCCF Scholarship and Anugerah Cemerlang Mendaki (University) Award recipient would go on to achieve an Honours with highest distinction.
Safarah with her IWSP colleagues. (Image credits: Nur Safarah Binte Zaharudin)
Currently, Safarah is responsible for providing facility services to clients, including operational checks, inspections, and maintenance. She is also tasked to ensure maintenance works are conducted in compliance with workplace safety and health regulations.
She hopes to step into a managerial role in the future, where she will be able to manage the operations of the buildings and have an overview of all the systems to increase their efficiency and sustainability.
“With Singapore moving into the smart nation initiative, I hope to be involved in the advancement of the initiative by incorporating technology into the building systems to make them more efficient,” she enthuses.
She knows that she may need to continue learning and upskilling in her chosen career.
She says, “My current goal is to get some experience in the industry before deciding, in one or two years time, whether a Master’s degree would benefit me. It would definitely be useful should I get an opportunity to manage a large facility some day. It would also help me gain a deeper understanding of sustainability in building management.”
Which SIT-DNA trait resonates with you the most? Safarah: I would like to believe that I am living up to the SIT-DNA of “Able to Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn”. I am always willing to learn new things and improve myself through what I have learnt. I am always looking for new opportunities to learn more, even if it means going into a totally different environment. I believe that I need to be adaptable to change as it is through change that we are able to learn the most. |
We salute Safarah and Qiumei for living out the SIT-DNA and pursuing their desires to drive positive impact to those around them. We’re sure that the SITizens from the Class of 2021 will go on to achieve big things, and we cannot wait to witness what they have in store.
The Digital Senior team wishes them all the best in their pursuits!
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This article first appeared on Digital Senior.
