Part of SIT’s Class of 2026, Iffa Faheera left a promising career as a paralegal to pursue communications, then took a work attachment in Shanghai without being able to speak Mandarin. Neither was the hardest thing she would face at university. 

Twice, Iffa Faheera was handed the safe option. The first was a paralegal job at the legal firm where she interned. The second was a work attachment at a Big Four accountancy firm. Both times, she said no.

The first offer came as she was finishing her law and management diploma. She had gotten a feel of internal communications during her internship at a renowned legal firm. Getting recognition for her content and designs plus realising that she enjoyed the creative work made her consider pivoting to marketing and communications.

Later, meeting an old secondary school friend who was enrolled in SIT’s Digital Communications & Integrated Media course (now named Communication and Digital Media) inspired Iffa to apply for a spot. This, despite the 24-year-old’s initial plans to skip university. 

“I thought that marketing was a portfolio-based kind of job. I wasn’t keen on spending another three years studying, and thought I was better off gaining work experience,” shares Iffa. 

Iffa Faheera (center) and her classmate with Assistant Professor Aaron Ng (left), who teaches the Communication and Digital Media undergraduate programme. (Photo: Iffa Faheera)

University meant three more years without a full-time income, at a time when her family was already stretched. Iffa’s father had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and had to stop working as a private hire driver by day and a musician by night. Her mother became the family’s sole breadwinner, taking on odd jobs to support a family of five.

Iffa became the first in her family to go to university, a huge honour for her, and one her parents supported despite the strain at home.

“Even though we were struggling, my mum has never forced me to go out and earn money. We made do with whatever we had, and I was able to focus 100% on earning my degree,” reflects Iffa. 

Starting Over and Finding Her Footing

Entering communications meant starting afresh. In her first module on photography, Iffa was taken aback by the knowledge gap between her and some classmates. 

“While I sat looking confused, my classmates who had studied communications in polytechnic already knew the technical terms being taught,” recalls Iffa. She was initially anxious as she did not want to be the weakest member of her group, among peers she felt were ahead of her. 

Then she reframed it. 

“At the end of the day, everyone’s still learning the same thing. If my classmates already know the concepts, good for them. If I don’t know, the professor will teach me,” says Iffa. 

Just as she was finding her footing in a new field, Iffa faced the hardest test of her university years: an unexpected health challenge in her first trimester. The setbacks kept recurring, often peaking during submission weeks and exam seasons. It dampened her spirits as she came to terms with the fact that she could not push herself as hard as she had in polytechnic.

Nonetheless, she persevered with the support of her understanding professors who gave deadline extensions and made special arrangements for her tests. Her caring course mates would also check in on her during projects.

Iffa (2^nd from the right) has been grateful for friends and coursemates who regularly checked in on her and looked out for her well-being. (Photo: Iffa Faheera)

“They would ask, ‘Are you sure you can manage this workload? We don’t want you to put your health at risk,’” says Iffa, who is grateful and touched by their concern. 

Choosing Shanghai, and Another Leap into the Unknown

The second safe option came with her Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP). She turned down a local offer at a Big Four accountancy firm and instead chose an overseas placement with Builtopia, a tech startup in Shanghai. 

Because she does not speak Mandarin, her family and friends worried about how she would cope. Iffa reflected on her grandmother’s advice to widen her horizons, and on her father’s example. Years earlier, the musician had moved to Germany to pursue his music career. His experience gave her the confidence to take the risk.

Not speaking Mandarin did not stop Iffa from venturing to Shanghai for her overseas IWSP, an experience that pushed her beyond her comfort zone. (Photo: Iffa Faheera)

The attachment turned out to be where she grew the most. “A large part of her growth at SIT came from her IWSP experience. “When alone in a country where I cannot speak the language, I had to be better at pacing myself. I learnt to be upfront with my boss about managing my workload and maintaining a healthier work routine, including avoiding late nights to ensure I was taking care of my health,” shares Iffa.

Her biggest takeaway was not to let other people’s doubts limit her. Despite the language barrier, she deepened her skills in marketing, content creation and digital communications and learnt how to use artificial intelligence agents, write no-code workflows, and create API keys. 

Ready for What Comes Next

Iffa graduates having taken a route very different from the one she once imagined, one shaped by learning to keep moving forward even when circumstances were not within her control.

For Iffa Faheera, graduating with SIT’s Class of 2026 marks how far she has come. (Photo: SIT / Keng Photography)

Looking back, Iffa says: “I may not have achieved everything I initially set out to achieve, but I’m proud I continued. A personal motto I try to live by is: ‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.’ It reminds me not to focus too much on what I lack or what I could have done under different circumstances, but to make the most of what is within my control.”