Teoh Mei Ting, winner of the ‘SITizen-DNA - Thinking Tinkerers’ award, shows how her ‘can-do’ attitude has helped her to navigate university life and blossom into a well-rounded student leader.

Mei Ting received the SITizen-DNA - Thinking Tinkerers award from SIT Provost Prof John Thong. (SIT Photo: Keng Photography/Tan Eng Keng)

Growing up, Mei Ting was intrigued by the hidden mechanics of appliances. She would gaze up at the ceiling, tracking the path of the air conditioning trunking just to satisfy her curiosity about where it led.

Little wonder then, that this led her to the Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Building Services)* degree programme at SIT. The programme’s emphasis on sustainable building methods combines her love for engineering and sustainability, making it an obvious choice for her academic pursuit.

A New Academic Ballgame

Adjusting to SIT’s trimester system was something different, and Mei Ting encountered her first challenge almost immediately once she started her study term. Team projects were something new to her, as Mei Ting’s previous educational experiences were largely exam based. With project work a mainstay for almost every module, this meant needing to adjust to different teammates’ schedules and working styles.

Mei Ting very quickly recognised the need to get things organised and initiated discussions with her peers to work out an end goal, structure and timeline. That way, the teams were able to work collaboratively to complete their work. “The experience of working with others pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone. Instead of working in silos, I learnt how to tailor my communication approach to be able to work with others,” Mei Ting said.

Putting One’s Best, Authentic Self Forward

As Mei Ting is very passionate about engineering, it was a natural step to join The Institute of Engineers Singapore (IES) – Student Chapters in SIT. Her role ranged from strategy work and conducting outreach to stakeholders to organising events. She even rose to helm the IES – Student Chapters as President in 2022. She has since stepped down, but is still active in the club and is an Advisor to her juniors today.

Mei Ting (3rd from right) at the IES Annual Dinner with junior IES-SIT EXCO members (Photo: Teoh Mei Ting)

However, the journey to becoming a self-assured, eloquent student leader did not happen overnight.

Mei Ting recalled the early days when she was asked to take to the stage at SIT’s Leadership Training Programme for student ambassadors: “My legs were shivering and I just couldn’t utter a word, even though I had my notes prepared. At that moment, in front of all the other student leaders and SIT staff, I simply decided to express what came to my mind. That moment showed me the importance of being sincere and speaking from the heart.”  

Her sharing was well-received and since that day, Mei Ting noticed that the only person holding back her growth was herself. Armed with this self-awareness, she started pushing herself and has gone on to organise fireside chats and dialogue sessions with industry leaders. She was even selected to be a student emcee for a public Hackathon seminar hosted by SIT and NASA. Mei Ting’s transformation from being unsure when thrust in the spotlight to hosting a public seminar is a testament to her determination to grow as a leader.

Mei Ting progressed to facilitating dialogue sessions and dinners between SIT students and prominent leaders in the engineering sector. It is her ability to network with industry partners such as Siemens, Arup and Amazon, that has opened conversations for her peers to expand their knowledge beyond textbooks.

 “These exchanges and mentorship experiences bring to life what we learn in class. We are also happy to share the thoughts of young engineers-to-be with our industry partners,” Mei Ting said.

Another successful fireside chat that Mei Ting organised for her peers – young engineers-to-be – to network and learn from industry leaders. (Photo: Teoh Mei Ting)

Of Tenacity, Character and Heart

Despite having to juggle her studies and the time spent on her student activities, Mei Ting is grateful for the opportunities to hone her skillsets in project management and public speaking, which she believes will come in handy for work in the future.

Looking back at her three years in SIT, Mei Ting is thankful for her leaders who are always generous in sharing their knowledge and tips. Mei Ting believes that the ‘able to learn, unlearn & relearn’ philosophy practised by the university has given her the confidence to try new things.

“In university, there is no judgement in failing, and you have nothing to lose. So take this opportunity to step out of your comfort zone. Most importantly, enjoy the process!”

* The programme will be known as Sustainable Built Environment from Academic Year 2023.