My experience as an undergraduate at the Department of Physics has been a very fulfilling one. Learning physics has not only allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the workings of the universe, but it has also allowed me to pick up important life skills and learn more about myself along the way.

Physics has always been a challenge for me and this is also one of the reasons why I decided to study physics—to challenge myself! While it did seem like torture at times, a great sense of satisfaction would follow when I finally understood a concept. There were times when I felt like giving up but I was extremely fortunate to have met an amazing group of friends who had gone through thick and thin with me. Through learning physics together, we learnt to be more resilient in spite of failures. 

Learning physics has also taught me a lot about patience and perseverance. To obtain accurate and reliable results from the experiments we conducted, trial-and-errors were needed and experiments had to be replicated several times. This was not an easy feat especially when there were no existing references available that could provide us with a direction.

In addition, learning physics has subconsciously shaped my way of thinking. It was only when I interacted with people from other disciplines that I realised that the way in which we interpret and approach a problem can be vastly different! With cross-disciplinary collaboration opportunities, I get to gain a broader perspective from others, and similarly, I believe that others could gain a new perspective from me too. This is hence one of my greatest assets as a physics major.

I would also like to show my appreciation towards all the lecturers, professors and staff in the Department of Physics who have made my undergraduate experience a pleasant one. It is only with their encouragement and guidance that I could successfully graduate from NUS and transit smoothly into the workforce. They have definitely played a part in shaping who I am today!

I am currently ​studying in NIE under its Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme to acquire the knowledge and skills required of a teacher for teaching Physics and Chemistry at a secondary school level. I have always aspired to be a teacher since young so this ​is a dream come true for me! My ​short-term goal is to hone my teaching skills so that I can make learning science fun and enjoyable for youths. Moving forward, I intend to ​gain substantial teaching experience before learning more about educational leadership to become better equipped to contribute more meaningfully to our education sector.