If there’s anything Physics taught me, it is resilience. Many times, I asked myself if I was ever made for this field when I couldn’t understand some concepts or score well for some tests; but my love for the subject and the constant support from mentors and friends always helped me bounce back. This motivated me a lot during this pandemic and through the circuit breaker. Despite having to push back some of my plans and having to face an unstable job market due to the pandemic, I tried my best to keep moving forward and learn what I can, while I can, so that when the opportunity comes, I am well-prepared for it.

Despite countless job rejections and setbacks, I was lucky enough to have been able to secure a position in optical design R&D which I am deeply passionate about. This may not have been possible if it weren’t for the opportunities NUS and the Department of Physics have provided me with, such as a research stint on optic fibre sensing in Japan during my Student Exchange Programme, and an opportunity to work on a project on nonlinear optics during my final year project—experiences which proved to be favourable for this career path. More than that, the Experimental Physics (PCx193) series I took have sparked my interest on experimental work and research, which helped me identify my career aspirations early on in my undergraduate studies and gain related skillsets before graduation.

My batch may have been caught off-guard by the pandemic; most of us may have had to postpone our plans and dreams. But I have confidence that we will persevere and pull through. We will achieve greater things, maybe not now, but eventually.