Sam Yong

News & Events News & Events News & Events Highlights Through a myriad of student life activities and internship experiences, Sam Yong, SIM-University of London (UOL) alumnus had gained valuable insights into his personal strengths. It steered him into making certain decisions including furthering his postgraduate study in the UK. Fast forward to today, data and insights have become an integral part of his career as a data operations associate at Moody’s Analytics. Who is your hero in life and why? A dear friend of mine. His family struggled to make ends meet and faced various setbacks. However, no one would have guessed his circumstances due to his happy-go-lucky attitude. He did well in class and was also an athlete who won various track events. He taught me that self-improvement is a constant process and we should formulate goals that are big enough to push ourselves beyond our limits yet realistic so that we would remain motivated to chase them. Today, he is my go-to person for advice on work and personal matters. Why did you choose to pursue the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Business and Management programme with SIM-UOL? The programme offers a wide variety of modules from Economics, Financial Management to Marketing and Information Technology, allowing me to explore my interests. Furthermore, SIM has a strong student community. There are interest clubs and student services in place such as the Career Development Office to provide an enriching and rewarding student life. What was your most memorable experience as the Director of Welfare at SIM-UOL Student Council? The journey had been particularly rewarding because of the leadership skills gained. On the first day in my capacity as the director of welfare, I remember entering the room with 20-odd new freshmen council members, all wide-eyed and eager to begin work. In that split moment, I realised that I was responsible for all of them. It was daunting at first but that quickly turned into excitement as I learned how to lead. Tell us more about your internship experiences. My first internship was at a start-up company that delivers lunches to businesses. During my time there, I realised that there was a huge component in the company’s supply chain which could be easily outsourced, resulting in substantial savings for the company. I proposed it to the directors and they placed me in-charge to see it through. Seeing that I did well, I was assigned to more logistics and operational tasks. It was then that I realised I thrive in a start-up environment. My second internship was as a finance intern where I had to go through the financial data of companies in Singapore. This was more mundane and desk-bound as compared to my previous internship, but it required me to use my Accounting and Finance knowledge. How have your student life and internship experiences shaped you? These were the best part of my university life! In Council, I had the chance to work with different types of people and personalities, each of them brilliant in their own ways. I also had countless opportunities to speak in front of large audiences, which I believe is a crucial skill as a leader. My internship experience gave me the much-needed insight into how start-ups operate and how to spot the ones with potential. This allowed me to make a more informed decision on the sort of companies that I would want to kick start my career with. You have graduated with first-class honours despite your active student life. What is your formula to success? Attend classes. In my final year, I worked in the day and attended classes at night. Even though it would have been easy to come up with excuses to not attend the night classes, I felt that being present was important. Time management is also crucial especially in the months leading up to the final year exams. I would advise anyone to spend a few hours to plan his or her revision schedule early. Set aside a day to revisit some modules and time for breaks. #SIM-UOLGraduate #GlobalHero Click here to learn more about the programmes awarded by the University of London. Posted online, 22 Jan 2020