Reaching Dreams at Imagine Cup

By Marcus Lee, Year 3, Diploma in Digital Media Design

A smashing final year for School of Information Technology (SIT) student Mong Yunheng as he takes a top spot for NYP in New York

Imagine Cup is an annual competition sponsored and hosted by Microsoft Corp. It gathers students and aspiring young technologists around the globe to lend their hand in resolving some of the world greatest challenges. Running through two legs, in Singapore and the worldwide finals in New York, few have the honour of being placing top three in their categories.

This year, among the four categories in which Singapore made the finals, one of NYP’s students, Mong Yunheng, was awarded second runners-up worldwide for the IT Challenge segment of Imagine Cup 2011. Yunheng is a final year student from SIT doing his Diploma in Information Security. He is also one of NYP’s 4 Microsoft Student Partners.

Yunheng shared his experiences of participating in Imagine Cup, both in Singapore and New York.

He was inspired to compete in Imagine Cup because it allowed him to utilize the vast knowledge and skills he gained from his education and pit them against the difficult IT infrastructure scenarios presented to him during the course of the competition.

With the hurdle of juggling school work and delivering for the competition, Yunheng found the support from his lecturers and friends vital in managing the stress and giving him confidence for victory. Bolstered by his own capability and the training SIT has given him, he found himself in good stead and ready to take on his competitors.

Unlike most categories with national rounds, the IT Challenge comprised only of international rounds. So instead of competing against the 46 Singaporean competitors who were also vying to enter the finals, he was competing with over 6,000 people worldwide. Yunheng stated that this was the first time he has been “involved in a competition of this scale and the number of competitors definitely added more anticipation and excitement.”

During the first few hours of the competition, Yunheng was energetic and nervous, but as the hours passed, fatigue kicked in. Fortunately, during the 24 hour period the contestants were provided with a continuous supply of food and drinks such as Red Bull.

It was a big achievement for Yunheng to have achieved his position of second runner-up in this international competition, being one of the youngest candidates and pitting against university-level competitors. Yunheng sees each finalist as a champion in their own country and has also expressed that the journey was truly rewarding.

For his efforts, Yunheng was presented with US$3,000. He will be saving most of this fund for further studies, while a portion will be spent on gifts and meals to treat those who stood by and supported him during the competition.

For Yunheng, learning the new technologies introduced to him during the competition was enjoyable and enlightening. Describing the atmosphere of the competition and New York, Yunheng mentioned the competitors’ passion for technology and enthusiasm was contagious, which rubbed off others. He loved how it felt to be soaking up the atmosphere with a huge gathering of students who were passionate in the same field as he was.

The environment was also very vibrant, lively and unique as Yunheng describes the depth of the culture and architecture found down each section, or borough as referred to in New York. The people there were also very approachable and “some would even go out of their way to help a tourist” he told us.

“The girls will absolutely love it there because there are simply so many places to shop and things to buy,” he added.

Leaving us with advice for future participants for Imagine Cup or any other competition, Yunheng felt that perseverance is the key to success. “Stay positive and you will discover it will be a rewarding experience, just as I did” he summed up.

Making IT Great is Just His First Step

By Kishen Van Anker, Year 2, Diploma in Business Management

Joshua Tan receiving his award from Mr. John Fernandes, Director, Business & Marketing Organisation, Microsoft Singapore

Diploma in Information Technology student Joshua Tan may only be in Year 2, but he was already made a Microsoft Student Partner in Year 1, which is a rarity. On top of that, he recently won the Microsoft Office 2010 Make-It-Great Ambassador competition and is now Singapore’s First-Ever Microsoft Office 2010 Make-It-Great Ambassador. We interviewed Joshua to find out why he makes the perfect Microsoft Make-It-Great Ambassador.

What made you take part in the competition?

I have always been a firm believer that Microsoft Office applications are not fully utilized and would like to educate people on how to use Microsoft Office to its fullest. It was undoubtedly passion that made me take part in the competition. It is also this burning passion for IT and computers that led me to pursue everything IT: the course, the competitions and certifications.

Why did you pursue the Diploma in Information Technology at NYP?

IT has always been my interest. I started developing websites since Primary 3. During my Secondary education, choosing the IT Club as my CCA was a natural choice and I was the Club’s president for 2 years.

I chose NYP because it is well known for their IT diplomas and I am happy with the exposure and opportunities given to me on various fronts. I have also been awarded the iDA Integrated Infocomm Scholarship upon starting my diploma studies in NYP.

How did you prepare for the competition?

I had to select a piece of work done which showcases the innovative and creative use of the Microsoft Office suite of applications. For this competition, I chose a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation which I created for the purpose of highlighting musical scores. After being shortlisted, I had to prepare for a video interview which required me to demonstrate and highlight features of Microsoft PowerPoint in an unconventional and creative manner.

Tell us more about the competition. How did you feel during the competition and what were its highlights?

There were many requisites that I needed to satisfy such as being able to use Microsoft Office applications creatively and having unique features in my entry. Other factors include the extent of social media coverage I garnered, and the quality of the metadata in the entry.

The entire duration of the competition was one month. Out of 50 participants, nine finalists were chosen for the video interview. They had to showcase the uniqueness of their chosen work which was created using Microsoft Office applications. Also, a Facebook ‘fanpage’ was created for all nine competitors.

A Microsoft ‘Back-to-School’ roadshow was organized for the public to buy Microsoft applications and accessories for their children who are heading back to school after the June holidays. Through this roadshow, the Make-IT-Great event was shared among the public and it also served as a platform for competitors to garner more votes through their Facebook fanpage.

Before the competition, I was actually eagerly waiting to see other entries after submitting mine. After being shortlisted, I was pretty excited about the video interview. Being an avid classical music lover, I used music as a theme for the video interview.

How has NYP supported you throughout the competition?

It was through Mr. Gary Lim from the School of Information Technology that I got to know about the competition. NYP has provided me with excellent training opportunities in preparation for the competition.

What have you gained overall in this competition?

I have gained insurmountable experience from my lecturers, peers and also from the business communities whom I interacted with during the course of the competition.

It was also a great opportunity to expand my social network. The competition has also further reinforced my understanding of the product (in this case, Microsoft Office 2010 applications) and with this win, it further fuels my passion for IT.

What does being crowned Singapore’s very own Microsoft Office 2010 Make-It-Great Ambassador mean to you?

It definitely means a lot to me. It is an inaugural event and I am glad to have won the title. This title will allow me to do more in sharing all the awesome features of Office 2010 with my fellow Singaporeans and people who want to optimize their time via the use of the Microsoft Office suite.

Through this win, it will provide me the resources and my first step will be getting involved in Microsoft Roadshows and other publicity campaigns in the coming months. I would also like to evangelize to people the features of Microsoft Office 2010 that are not commonly used.

A few words to all aspiring IT students who are interested in the competition?

Prepare to commit fully throughout the competition. Always understand the responsibilities needed as a competitor before, during and after the competition. Finally, if you have the passion, just go for it and Make-It-Great!