Tiew Ying Ying is a Year 2 Bachelor in Software Engineering (Honours) student from School of Computing, Nilai University. She is the only Malaysian to have made it into the final round of the Engineering Equity Hackathon, a world class coding competition organised by Virtusa and come out as the best competitor. Defeating over hundred thousandths of other rivals, this 23 year old from Ipoh, Perak is definitely made of steel and will not be swayed by the competitors.
“I am incredibly thankful and overjoyed to win the Best Competitor Award, it is a great honour to be recognised for our hard work and dedication, and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a prestigious competition”. When asked about what pushed her to take the first step in participating, “Dean Harlina encouraged my friend and I to participate in this competition, when we saw it, we were definitely intrigued by the reward that it offers”. What is interesting about her is that she straight away participated after registering and has never looked back ever since.
In conjunction with the theme of Engineering Equity Hackathon 2023, the competition celebrates the inclusion of female participants from all around the world, highlighting the need to leverage the presence of women in the technology and computing industry. Being a female majoring in computing, Ying Ying too has been well aware of the perception that men are said to be better in this field, due to their relatively logical and clear mind image. But how much truth is there in the actual arena? “There are definitely many women who work hard and are passionate in what they do, they are very good in computing”, said Ying Ying.
She also made it seamlessly while juggling through her daily classes and keeping up with the competition, “I have definitely developed my communications, patience, and tolerance skills, having worked in an international time zone means I have to find the middle ground of making the discussion work”. The experience has also exposed her to how the real world works.
Having the platform to apply the theory learnt in class and collaborating with international peers, this is what the School of Computing in Nilai University prepares the students for. Learning goes beyond just the classroom, this will be a core memory for her and a reminder of the league she can achieve.
Going the extra mile of learning and practising will definitely help in improving your skills, said Ying Ying when asked to share some tips for future students who’d like to put their skills to compete. Focusing in class and getting the theory solid while also upskilling and reskilling will give you the boost to be out there. It certainly takes so much untold effort and sacrifices to be the best among the best. “I am happy that I get the chance to join this competition, special thanks to the judges, organisers, my teammates, Ts. Harlina Harun for her encouragement, Ms. Zuhaili and Ms. Rajes, and other lecturers who have helped, guided, and supported me a lot throughout the competition”.
When asked about the doubts and fears that one might have, she kept it real by saying that she too has faced some fear and helplessness. What matters is to keep on going even if you feel like things are not going your way and you will get there.
Pushing the boundaries of what we can do and proving the unreachable can be conquered is what we do best. Whether you are building your foundation or looking to upskill in your career, prepare for the competitive real life industry through our extensive range of programs here at Nilai University:
Bachelor in Software Engineering (Honours)
Diploma in Information Technology
Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons)
Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons) (Internet Engineering and Cloud Computing)
