Turning challenges into digital inspirations
Winner of the 2024 Rotary Club of Bugis Junction (RCBJ) Outstanding Student Award, Praveen Kumar shares his inspiring story on how he overcame the odds to become an SIT Scholar.
Praveen Kumar S/O A Jeyaramas knows firsthand the value of an education. The third-year undergraduate, who is pursuing the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Applied Computing with a specialisation in Fintech, has been financing his studies since his polytechnic days.
“Back then, I worked multiple part-time jobs to cover my polytechnic fees,” Praveen shares about his family’s financial situation. “My mother was the sole breadwinner and with three children to support, it was difficult to make ends meet. To finance my four-year degree, I had to take out a bank loan.”
Fortunately, he was awarded the Yusof Ishak Scholarship last year, which helped cover a year of his tuition fees. This year, he was also recognised with the Rotary Club of Bugis Junction (RCBJ) Outstanding Student Award, which is given annually to one student who has made significant contributions, beyond academic studies to SIT or the community at large.
Driven to excel and share knowledge
These awards are a testament to Praveen’s resilience and dedication. “It encourages me that I’m doing something valuable for the community,” he says. His sense of independence and drive, developed from a young age, shines through in his exemplary performance during his National Service, when he was awarded the Sword of Merit for being among the top 10 per cent of the Officer Cadet cohort.
Praveen is equally committed to sharing his knowledge and experience with others. At SIT, he actively mentors student leaders through the Vanguard programme and served as Head of Programmes for the Helix initiative, where he organises activities to help integrate freshmen into the SIT community. In addition to these roles, he served as Vice President (Engagement) of the Applied Computing (Fintech) Student Management Committee, where he helped foster strong bonds among students and enhance their overall learning experience. He also represents the university at institutional functions as an SIT Ambassador, interacting with local and international guests and industry partners.
True learning, Praveen believes, comes from doing. He says as he reflects on his Integrated Work Study programme experience:
"School can only get you so far, achieving the basics. Once you are in the industry, that's where you learn exactly what it's about, the various frameworks and how they are applied"
He relates his internship at Ernst & Young, where as its Technology Risk & Compliance Intern, he had the opportunity to work with three major banks and brokerage clients to ensure that their design and technology processes adhere to regulatory standards. These experiences have deepened his understanding of industry expectations and real-world applications, which play a crucial role in preparing him for future ventures.
“This does prepare us to be more industry-ready, whether it is to be an entrepreneur or a professional in the field. As I was developing my start-up project, I tried to correlate it with my internship experiences at Accenture and Ernst & Young.”
Crafting solutions for practical needs
Praveen is passionate about creating digital solutions to meet practical needs. Perhaps this stems from his life experiences which have shaped his understanding of the financial difficulties faced by underprivileged families, especially when no will is in place.
CraftWills, a start-up aimed at making estate planning simple and accessible through an automated will-writing tool, was co-founded by Praveen.
"They may own a house but often struggle to get by and cannot afford to pay lawyers to draft wills. When they pass on, surviving family members are unable to access their monies or assets. This stretches the family's financial situation."
He hopes to expand CraftWills’ reach to non-profit organisations, making it more accessible to those who need it most.
The Diploma in Engineering with Business graduate from Singapore Polytechnic did not have a formal IT background. Despite this, Praveen has a keen interest in blockchain and crypto technology, which motivated him to self-learn coding and programming skills. He was determined to pursue his entrepreneurial dream and saw the SIT degree as a stepping stone towards realising his goal of becoming a start-up founder. He is already pursuing ambitions to build more digital solutions aimed at simplifying life and making things affordable for the common person.
Deeply appreciative of the generous support that he has received, Praveen is committed to giving back. He says of his scholarship and award sponsors:
"Thank you for believing in the potential of students like myself. Your investment in the next generation is truly inspiring, and it motivates me to continue making a positive impact within SIT and the community. I am committed to paying this goodwill forward by helping others, just as you have supported me."
