Halogen Mentoring Programme

Nigel Yong, Assistant Manager, Group Corporate Communications

Nigel has always been fascinated by how a well-strung set of words can shape perceptions and inspire change. He views the art of communication as making flower arrangements of the facts, placing them so the wilted and less attractive petals are hidden by sturdy blooms. The self-proclaimed petrol head started his career as an automotive journalist, covering just about anything and everything about cars and developing content ideas. Today, he is a corporate communicator focused on adapting the communication of Subaru and Nissan in Japan to the rest of Asia’s market characteristics and specific needs. Nigel graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with a Diploma in Communications and Media Management. His mentee can look forward to over-enthusiast conversations about cars, practicing the art of spin and maybe even the occasional spirited drive.

Sandy Low, General Manager, Regional Marketing

With extensive experience in regional marketing and business development, Sandy leads the marketing team for Subaru in 9 markets. A determined and tenacious leader, she has worked with numerous global luxury brands and developed innovative projects to drive growth and increase brand visibility. She enjoys working in a multicultural environment and has managed teams in countries such as New Zealand, Thailand and Guam. Sandy graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts with a Diploma in Graphics Design. Her mentee can look forward to developing essential marketing skills, such as digital marketing and advertising.

June Low, Manager, Housekeeping

June leads the housekeeping department covering 10 markets in Asia. A proactive and positive leader, she ensures that all offices, showrooms and facilities are kept clean and orderly. June has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry and enjoys working with a culturally diverse team. She has worked with luxury hotels, service apartments, cruise ships and healthcare facilities in Singapore, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and China. June graduated from Hotel-und Touristikfachschule, Chur, Switzerland with a Diploma in Hotel Management. Her mentee can look forward to picking up skills such as managing and working with a team remotely and developing strong attention to details.

Darren Wee

Darren is a software engineer at Stripe Singapore. Before joining Stripe, he took on multiple internships in software engineering and research during his undergraduate period. Darren graduated in 2019 from NUS Computing with a specialisation in software engineering.

Dillon Lee

I am a member of the bank’s Leadership Institute and I manage the bank’s leadership programmes.  I work with the team to ensure that relevant leadership programmes are identified and delivered across the entire organization seamlessly.  I’ve spent time across 6 different industries and almost ways in learning & development.  In my spare time, I am online battling others through MMORPG or strategy games.  When I am bored I will challenge myself with mysteries and thrillers from Netflix and HBO. Eventually I’ll sleep.

One skill that young job seekers should have (that never gets old) is empathy.

Jennifer Lu

I am extremely passionate about learning and strongly believe that intelligence is not static. Everyone can upskill provided the right opportunity. My current role is supporting the Technology & Operations team in their learning ecosystem. It’s an exciting journey with technology fast evolving and we are constantly upskilling and reskilling, preparing our employees to be future-ready in the face of digitalization. My prior experiences include working in an international bank driving retail banking transformation, client experience, digital adoption as well as strategic business planning. 

As a mother of 2 teenage boys, I am constantly busy cooking, baking and experimenting new dishes which is not only therapeutic for me, but a great joy when you see the happy faces enjoying your final product. I have just recently completed my part-time EMBA and am currently looking for a new course to pursue.

One important skill which any new job seeker should have is agility. In today’s VUCA world, it is imperative that we need to be agile in order to quickly pivot and adapt to stay relevant.

Dane Lim

I enjoy working with my colleagues in HR and other stakeholders to deliver career experiences that are life-fulfilling for our employees. No one day is the same. We may be creating a new virtual festival one day and finding ways to attract more diverse talent around the world on another. Regardless of the work we do, I can always count on my colleagues to work as one team to deliver great experiences for both employees and prospective job seekers to position DBS as an employer of choice.

During my free time, I enjoy sharing my yoga practice with others, especially with seniors. We live in an aging society and we can all do more to help seniors lead more active, healthier lives.

I am not sure if I am qualified to share what I think that one skill young job seekers should have. I am often amazed by the range of talent, experience and skills young job seekers have today and my only suggestion is to help employers better appreciate how that richness and depth would be relevant and meaningful to the organisation.

Sarita Peng

Sarita is the Head of Recruiting for Stripe in APAC. She is an experienced recruiting leader with a background in building and leading high-performing recruiting teams in global, high-growth environments and at multiple stages of company maturity. Prior to joining Stripe she worked at Facebook as the Head of International Recruiting, comprising staffing teams in APAC, EMEA and LATAM, and spanning Industry, Leadership and University hiring for Business & Sales recruiting.

Mac Witmer

Mac is an Account Manager working with Stripe’s Strategic Accounts across Southeast Asia & Hong Kong. Prior to Stripe, she spent 5.5 years at LinkedIn in both Singapore and San Francisco. Mac graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in Communications and Art History. She is passionate about the global technology industry and enjoys working with customers to help solve their problems. She thinks the best way to build a career is to follow growth, be it fast-growing companies or regions.

Sharon Pakir

Sharon’s experience of surviving a near death-experience and a medical trauma has given her a deep purpose to improve the world that we work in and foster a leadership style based on connection, empathy, and an understanding of resilience in all aspects of life. She is passionate about enabling people to live their best lives, personally and professionally.

She is a speaker, trainer, coach, facilitator, and director of The Trailblazer Tribe — an Australian company that helps clients achieve personal, professional, and business growth. Sharon is also a professional dancer and choreographer, owning Spin City Dance – one of Australia’s premier Latin Dance academies.

Choy Yong Cong

Choy is a Deputy Director at the Economic Development Board, his current portfolio includes working with companies to enhance the economic landscape in Singapore to provide good jobs for Singaporeans. He started his career in the military and the Ministry of Defence, where he served in the Singapore Army as commander of the 2nd Battalion. Apart from leading army personnels, Choy also managed bilateral and multilateral engagements in ASEAN, US, and Israel. He believes good leaders take care of their mission, as well as their men and women.

In his free time, Choy likes to do anything that stimulates his mind, body and soul – like travelling, reading, skiing, diving, and learning new skills.

Nicolette Tan

By profession, Nicolette is a policymaker of technology and healthcare. By choice, she actively volunteers in the community, supporting our migrant friends and mentoring youths at Access SG, a ground-up organisation that provides career exposure opportunities to secondary school students from backgrounds and educational streams which are traditionally less reached. 

Nicolette is also one of the founders of the chopeandsave.com initiative, a website to help mobilise loyal customers to provide much-needed support for their favourite small businesses amidst the global COVID-19 situation.

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AMANDA CHONG

Amanda Chong co-founded ReadAble, a non-profit organisation that runs weekly English literacy classes for children and migrant women in a low-income neighbourhood since 2014, with the aim of improving social mobility.

She is a lawyer trained in Cambridge and Harvard, who writes poems on her lunch breaks. A winner of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, her poetry has been engraved on the Marina Bay Helix Bridge.

Amanda is interested in exploring themes of gender and power in both her poetry and academic writing, which has been published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender. Her creative work has appeared in Monocle, the Straits Times and Quarterly Literary Review Singapore.

ISAAC ONG

Isaac’s life’s mission is to use music, media and messages to transform society positively. Having gone on his first humanitarian trip when he was 17 years old to a refugee camp along the borders of Thailand, his life was radically transformed and today he spends his life finding ways to love and serve others. He started his own social enterprise called Colours Global, a company that architects creative solutions to tackle social problems across Asia. They are presently at work with the Singapore Girls Home, helping to rehabilitate youths at risk through music and art, and assisting a NGO in Batam thats seeks to provide a better life for the children living in the slums. Isaac also uses his media platforms to bring awareness about social issues around Asia, and have been featured on both local and international news. He was also a finalist on The Voice Singapore and Malaysia.

NURSHAHIDAH ROSLIE A.K.A THE SNIPER

Nurshahidah is Singapore’s first professional female boxer and the founder of Juggernaut Studio. She represented Team Singapore Boxing in the South East Asian Games 2015 and her dedication to her craft has helped her progress forward and gain more exposure. Her professional record of 8 wins and 2 defeats brought about her nickname ‘The Sniper’ with 6 wins via knockout. She currently holds 4 Championship belts and was also awarded WBC Asia Female Champion of 2017.

As a strong advocator for women’s rights, she would like to see female boxing in Singapore grow to a higher level, with more women stepping up to the task of being a professional boxer. She hopes to be the source of inspiration for local female boxing scene to thrive.

Tong Yee

Li Ying

Ying is the brainchild of Li Ying – elusive, instinctive and arty. Using fabrics as her canvas, she creates wearable art by translating her inspirations and thoughts into one-of-a-kind art pieces using abstract brush strokes dipped in a whimsical watercolour palette.

Ying mentions, “I felt that the market has a gap in the availability of unique pieces, and I wanted to go beyond fashion and inspire. I am a strong believer of how less is more, but adding something exceptional to the ‘ less’ can bring out one’s personality and I hope to use my paintings to do that. Inspired by the everyday, my art always tells stories.”

Aiken Chia

Aiken Chia is a host, actor and producer of Food King by Night Owl Cinematics.

Off-camera, he serves as a young-adults leader/mentor to a connect group in his local church. Internationally, he is committed to humanitarian work specifically in My Family Home, Kathmandu – a children’s home that takes in children who are at risk.

Aiken is passionate about leadership, creativity, psychology, art and music, and social justice.

Fann Wong

Fann Wong is a Singaporean actress, singer and model signed to Catwalk Asia, an artiste management company from Taiwan.

Her acting talent started since childhood and after just a year in the television industry, her role in Chronicle of Life (缘尽今生) led her to be the first actress to win both the Best Actress and Best Newcomer awards at Singapore’s Star Awards 1995. After gaining regional exposure and
popularity in Asia through various television productions, she became the first Singaporean actress to venture into Hollywood, playing a lead role in the 2003 film, Shanghai Knights.

Fann also ventured into the China market and won the Best Asia Artist and Asia’s Most Popular Actress in China’s 2012 Tripod Awards.

Yuhui/Spoiltbytes

Yuhui is a creative content creator for &whyte, who goes by the username – @Spoiltbytes. After working in an advertising industry for almost a decade, Yuhui decided to dedicate most of her time into the endless pit of social media content creation. She is active on Instagram which she uses the platform to share her dreams, inspirational quotes, travel adventures and her two fluffy cats.

Outside work she also loves to embark on projects that uses design and creative ideas for a social cause.

Yuhui is also the creator behind Actseed Co. where she brings her creative output to life in products. She believes that when you buy something from a designer, you’re not just buying an item but you’re investing into somebody’s passion.

Joie Tan

Starting out on YouTube at the tender age of 14, Joie Tan began her musical journey by posting covers of vocal-heavy popular songs on the platform. Her renditions were met with tremendously positive reception, giving her opportunities to go from bedroom covers to live performances.

A prolific fresh graduate, the 22-year-old is currently working towards her debut album that is set to release at the beginning of next year.

Josh Tan

An emcee, designer and art facilitator with an unabashed love for lettering, Josh has taught calligraphy workshops and hand-lettered a wide range of commissioned typographic works: from weddings, posters to even wall murals.

A 2014 TEDxYouth Singapore speaker, Josh has also emceed for events such as the 28th SEA Games and hosted in front of crowds of more than 50,000 at venues like the National Stadium and OCBC Aquatic Centre.

Josh most enjoys combining his love for design and facilitation and has worked as an artist-educator for organisations such as Playeum’s Children’s Centre for Creativity and the YMCA Y-Stars, a group of young adults with intellectual disabilities.

Nurshahidah Roslie

Punch Above Your Weight

The journey to becoming Singapore’s first woman pro boxer was one fraught with setbacks, challenges & criticisms. Shah had to punch above her weight, her difficulties and critics to become the boxer that she is today. Learn from Shah as she shares handles on how to break through the barriers that stand in the way of our goals.

The journey to becoming Singapore’s first woman pro boxer was one fraught with setbacks, challenges & criticisms. Shah had to punch above her weight, her difficulties and critics to become the boxer that she is today. Learn from Shah as she shares handles on how to break through the barriers that stand in the way of our goals.

Isaac Ong

Why Wait? Start Now!

Change doesn’t need to be tough and impossible. All it takes is an idea, a decision to make a difference and a call to action. Learn how having a mindset shift is pivotal in taking the initiative to create a culture of giving and encouragement. The time is now.

Amanda Chong

Find Your Congruence

Lawyer, poet, non-profit founder. Amanda Chong seems to be doing it all. In a world that battles for our time and attention, how does she juggle her many hats? Hear from her on what guides her path, what her life compass is, and how she got to where she is today.

Tong Yee

Leadership Development in an Increasingly Complex Society*

No doubt, the primary role of a young person’s development is a parental one. But increasingly parents find that the full development of a child has to be a collaborative and integrated one, very much needing the support and advice of schools and those in youth sector. It is important in this complex society that we have a fresh evaluation on how we do that.

Tong Yee will be sharing about the complexities of changing society, and their implications on leadership development practices. Change is always challenging and can be very difficult for teachers; but it is also imperative that the broader school systems recognise the impact and significance of their work and are able to innovate and evolve alongside global development.

*Educator’s Only

PHYTO-SOLAR

In recent years, deforestation has been occurring at an accelerated rate. California had recently seen one of the biggest wildfires in 2019. Preeya aims to combat deforestation with Phyto-solar, a solar-panel powered plant that can help to have cleaner air while minimising the time needed to care for an actual plant.

Prakash Nair s/o Raja Morgan
Jurong Secondary School

CASH KICKS

Ever wanted a pair of beautiful shoes specially designed for you? Prakash aims to provide this exact service where he will design a unique pair of shoes just for you. While scrolling through Instagram, Prakash noticed many users selling shoes of the similar design and can be easily found in the market. That was when he came up with Cashkicks, a business where he will design shoes for customers, providing a different experience that is one of a kind.

Darius Foh
Hougang Secondary School

Self-Cleaning Contact Lens Case

The risk of eye infection after using unclean contact lenses poses a severe threat. However, there is also the hassle of ensuring that the contact lenses are clean, and especially so for busy Singaporeans. Hence, Darius created a self-cleaning contact lens case to help its users reduce the risk of having an eye infection while eliminating the hassle of the time to clean them.

Ang Kai Hsien
Greendale Secondary School

Flipping Around

What does it feel like to be Spiderman? Kai Hsien wants you to experience it for yourself. Parkour is an increasingly popular activity that appeals to youths, and spotting this trend, Kai Hsien created Flipping Around, a parkour gym that is perfect for young Singaporeans who are looking to dabble in Parkour. It is an ideal place for them to destress and build new friendships over a common interest.

Wong Ji Feng, Willard
East View Secondary School

School Canteen Checkout

Rushing for class, facing endless queues, only to find you have an empty wallet? This is a common problem experienced by students everyday. Willard’s School Canteen Checkout aims to change this situation by instituting a grab-and-go system in the canteen, without queuing, and automatically making payment through their e-wallet later in the day. It’s the Amazon Go for school canteens.

Nurul Huda Bte Mazlan
Edgefield Secondary School

Reusable Clothes

Clothes and discarded textiles make up a large proportion of what ends up in landfills. Huda believes that upcycling is one of many ways to create a sustainable future, and she hopes that more people will tackle this issue by changing the way we make, use and dispose of clothing. Through her business, she wants to give old clothes new life and encourage eco-friendliness through reusable and upcycled clothes.

Nur Ayumie Ayda Bte Roslan
Bedok Green Secondary School

Seribayu by Bayufamily

With the rising trends of viral dance movements from Korea and America, traditional dance seems to be losing traction among young people. Ayumie hopes to revive an interest in Malay dance by opening up a Malay dance company. She hopes that more people will appreciation of this unique art form as she shares the beautiful and graceful nature of Malay dance. Through this, she aims to impart important values to the new generation and ensure the distinct culture will not be lost.

Sean Kong

Chief Training Officer
Halogen Foundation Singapore

Sean first started out in 2005, where he was a volunteer with Halogen. Today, he oversees curriculum and programme design, research in youth trends and consults with schools to help them achieve their student leadership development goals. Sean loves the outdoors and a good adventure. One day, he hopes to be able to sail overseas, particularly in the Indian Ocean. 

Lawrence Liang, Youth Volunteer

I am passionate about volunteering with young people. I was once a lost boy. I had always known I wanted to serve the community. However, with so many beneficiaries and numerous ways to help them, I lacked motivation and a sense of direction. But there was one group who often felt was missed out on when people thought of giving back to society – Youth. Thus, I began my journey of developing my passion for empowering youth. In a short span of 6 months, I discovered how meaningful it was to uncover the limitless potential that so many youth possess but do not recognise. Through this process, I not only developed the skill sets required to train a class of students, but also clarified my own values in the process. I am excited to apply what I have learnt, to give back even more.

Daril Haqim, Youth Volunteer

I once heard this quote — “We do not inherit the world from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”. We often get caught up in our own world and we forget that there still exists young people who could do with a little more guidance and a nudge onto a better path. It is my hope and wish that every student that I’ve taught will put their new knowledge to good use and continue to impart them to those younger than themselves.

Amuthavalli Ramiah, Educator

Young people are at a stage in life where they are exploring the future and blossoming into adults. It is at this period of their life that they need the most support and guidance to encourage them so that they can make a difference in their lives, and in the lives of others. When I think about young people, I see a dynamic future that is filled with endless possibilities.

Mohammed Feroz, Youth Volunteer

The youth of today will become the leaders of tomorrow. By extending a helping hand and serving as a guide to youths, we can mould the leaders of tomorrow. This, to me, is one of the greatest contributions we can make to the future of our society. Volunteering with Halogen+ is an amazing opportunity for you to play a vital role in the lives of youths. Your actions can deeply inspire and push students to become better versions of themselves. Be a part of this community and shape the future of our society!

Tun Shien, Youth Volunteer

The youth are the greatest agents of change in our society and I feel a need to give back to the youth of today as I have had a couple of opportunities in the past. They are the source of the greatest change with new and fresh ideas on how to improve the world we live in. Volunteering with youths at Halogen+ is a meaningful experience where you get to meet people of different backgrounds, lifestyles, cultures and mindsets but all aligned with a common cause.

Daniel Kwok, Adult Volunteer

I’m Daniel, and I am a Service Delivery Manager at UBS for nearly 20 years. I was once a lost teenager who did not know what to do with his life. Now, as a working adult, I can share my past experience to encourage young people. By investing in young people, we can help them tackle their challenges in life, prepare them to join the workforce, develop their skillsets, discover their talents, and do so much more to help them achieve their goals!

Su Ann Lai, Youth Volunteer

I truly believe that when we invest in young people and build them at a young age, what they learn sticks with them, even as they grow older. It is in their youth that crucial learning and development takes place, not only in terms of skills, but also in terms of the development of their personal beliefs, values and confidence. Having the opportunity to interact with a diverse range of young people has taught me a lot about the way young people think and act, and interestingly, has taught me a lot about myself too. I believe that young people deserve the chance to be guided and shaped, just as how I had someone to do that for me too.

Vivek Sharma, Adult Volunteer

I believe that the future of young people is bright when they have proper guidance and directions. To quote Franklin Roosevelt, “We cannot build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future”. The truth is that many issues the young people today grapple with are more complicated than what we faced in our youth. Rapidly evolving social and cultural norms are forcing young people to find their unique identity. New technologies are changing the way they will work tomorrow. I believe in guiding young people to handle these challenges appropriately so that when the time comes, they are equipped to make the right decisions for themselves, their families and society.

Callista Anne, Youth Volunteer

The future is filled with so much uncertainty. Things are constantly changing and there will always be new problems. But at the same time, this also means that there are so many opportunities for youths to do things that has never been done before! I just hope to plant a little seed of growth and knowledge for today’s youths, which would hopefully bloom into something that will help them through the struggles they may face. Halogen+ has given me that opportunity as an Associate Trainer.

Muhammad ‘Ammar, Educator

Steadfast. That is the first word that pops in my mind when I think of youths and their future. I want them to be equipped with the proper skills and values so that they remain steadfast in the face of challenges and adversity. As a teacher at Edgefield Secondary School, I am more passionate about instilling values and life-skills in the youth more than anything else. Halogen+ is a very enriching experience for youth. It opens up their lives to a plethora of opportunities and experience beyond the four walls of a classroom setting and into the real world.

Gloria Zhang, Adult Volunteer

I am working at Diageo, as a Technical Manager for South East Asia. I believe that the potential of young people is endless. Just by showing them different perspectives and new possibilities, we can empower them to dream, and to create a better future for themselves and for those around them. As a volunteer, it has been rewarding to witness their growth and to see what they can really accomplish. Halogen+ is where a true difference can be made, sustained and amplified for good through our youths.

Geraldine Tay, CSR Champion

Tackling big issues like poverty, climate change, and inequality are at the forefront of many youths’ minds and I’m excited to see how things will improve as our young people are given more access and opportunities. Volunteering with Halogen+ is a wonderful opportunity to coach youth in navigating their lives, through proven methodologies that create lasting skills. If you are looking to join an organisation that allows you fulfil your purpose in impacting people and provides learning/growth opportunities, Halogen+ is definitely one of the top choices I’d recommend.

Richard Slovenski, Donor

I recently left a senior corporate position after working for over 30 years, and have embarked on a personal ‘journey of discovery’. I believe that the young people of today will solve the challenges of tomorrow. We can provide them with guidance and give them confidence to overcome these challenges and to make the world a better place. Throughout my career, I was fortunate to receive help from individuals who saw my potential and shortcomings, and guided me. I believe Halogen Foundation performs a similar role helping young people.

If you want to help young people understand what it takes to lead, collaborate, build trust, be creative, and become lifelong learners; build the confidence of young people; help build a better future for Singapore then Halogen Foundation is the place you should be!

Tze Xin, Youth Volunteer

Having people believe in you greatly influences who you think you are and what you think you are capable of, especially at a young and impressionable age. I volunteer with young people because in the same way others first believed in me, I hope to be able to do the same now for young people and witness them reach their potential and achieving their goals.

Harold Goh, Educator

I am currently a Head of Department, overseeing the Student Management in Serangoon Secondary School. I have seen how young people have the drive and the potential to impact the communities in ways that even adults cannot. Their strength lies in their youthful tenacity to hold on to their ideals. I believe that young people can and should contribute to the betterment of their community. The way they act must be based on a properly guided set of beliefs and values. Sometimes, all they need are adults who believe in them and who are willing to guide them.

Phoebe Ng, Youth Worker

I am currently working at The Salvation Army Youth Development Centre as a Centre Manager. Young people are sometimes labelled by society with less positive terms like “youth-at-risk” or “strawberry generation” and this hinders them from rising up to the occasion. As many of them continue to discover their passion and purpose in life, what they really need is to have more support and opportunities for them to shine. My passion is to help young people discover and unleash their potential. If you love working with and helping young people, Halogen+ is the platform you can do it!

Amaris Ann, Youth Volunteer

I believe that all of us are capable of sparking change in the life of a young person. Growing up, I’ve seen my relatives struggle with the results of the choices made in their youth, one reason being due to the lack of support and guidance received. I  have come to realise that young people are at a vulnerable point in their lives because they are discovering their identities and the choices they make have real consequences. To me, the future of young people is similar to the process of clay moulding. Without the guidance of an experienced potter, the clay would never reach its’ full potential. I believe that volunteering with young people is a great chance to surprise yourself. More than just impacting the lives of young people, I’ve come to learn new things about myself and have changed for the better too.

Jacob Tan, Adult Volunteer

Often times when I volunteer, I find myself not just imparting things, but receiving an exchange of ideas, concepts, and stories. I am passionate about volunteering with young people because I had the fortune of meeting many teachers, mentors, and kind souls as I was growing up. I believe they have had a strong influence on who I am today. That is why I wish to give back in the same way to young people now. Everyone faces different challenges, have different aspirations, and learn in different ways. I try my best to understand each individual as a person first before sharing what may be relevant to them. I believe we live in a world where young people can dream, and we can play a part in making their dreams come true!