2122T1 TSM/Participant Information/Geralyn

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About Geralyn

SMU email: scgoh.2018@smu.edu.sg
Facebook/Linkedin: LinkedIn
Academic Year: 2018
Degree: BSc Information Systems (Software Development)
2nd Major: Business Analytics
Hobbies: Reading (I love Mystery and Horror!), Skating

Why Travel Bubble TSM?

I wish to learn more about entrepreneurship and about how start-ups work, specifically those related to tech as I intend to stay in the tech industry due to my love for tech. Technology has helped to bring people together and improved operations in companies. I hope to be able to learn how different start-ups have made use of technology to help them to grow. I also want to learn about the steps for launching a start-up and be more aware of the challenges that one might face along the way. This was something that I hope to understand better due to my past experience in a tech start-up (as an intern).

Of course, I am also super excited to work with people from overseas. I look forward to building strong bonds with them! I also believe there is a lot that I can learn from them. I have met many amazing people from different countries, and most interactions often left me knowing more about them and about their culture. I was amazed and impressed by the differences between countries as I was able to gain a new perspective on things/life.

I am open to travel to any country! Being able to travel to different countries and understand their culture and norms is crucial to me, as I think that it is important to know the nuances between each country. Every country has its own charm and beauty. I believe that understanding different countries and their cultures well will help me to adapt easily in the real world, both in personal and work life.

Starting a business

• What types of business interest you?

I am interested in businesses that will help people and improve the world. The scope of helping others can be from optimising one's work to helping out various social causes (e.g. protecting the environment, helping the less fortunate). I am especially attached to businesses that bring about positive change.

• What plan do you have in starting a business?

I do not have any intentions of starting a business anytime soon. However, I am always up to support start-ups. In the distant future, I hope to be able to launch a start-up that helps the less fortunate in society.

Past Experiences

In Year 2 Summer, I aimed to intern at a start-up, as I wished to find out more about working in one. In the end, I interned at a start-up which was recently acquired by a much bigger company. However, they retained the start-up culture. I was able to experience first-hand how start-ups work. I really enjoyed how close-knit the team was and how accessible everyone was. I learnt a lot due to how I was able to rotate through many roles, which is something that is unique to start-ups in my opinion.

Furthermore, I was able to interact closely with those who helped to build up the start-up. Through various conversations with one of my supervisors, I was able to find out the various challenges faced by the team while they were still a start-up. I also got a glimpse into the lifespan of a start-up through those conversations. It made me have a deeper understanding and appreciation for those working on start-ups, which help me to have more empathy for new businesses.

Lastly, during my internship (work from home), I worked alongside engineers who were working remotely from Indonesia. My interactions with them were really interesting and cool! Even though we only met virtually (thanks to all the different technologies!), I still had a great time working with them and felt that our bonds were pretty solid. I adored my team! This experience has shown me how technology was able to help start-ups' communications.

What keeps you ticking?

• Consistently looking for new experiences to improve myself. Personal growth is important to me!