5–9 August 2026 | Universiti Malaya
Some programs become memorable not because of the schedule or the final result, but because of the people and experiences we share along the way.
From 5 to 9 August 2026, I had the privilege of serving as a mentor to four UTM students in the Program National Maker-Preneur 2025/2026: Tan Li Ying, Yu Kok Yang, Cheng Shin Thong, and Lim Le Xuan. The program was held at Universiti Malaya and involved 180 students from 20 local higher education institutions.
A memorable moment with my UTM mentees at the National Maker-Preneur 2025/2026 programme. From left to right: myself, Dr. Lee Siew Ling, Cheng Shin Thong, Lim Le Xuan, Yu Kok Yang, Tan Li Ying.
Over these few days, I had the opportunity to watch them transform an initial idea into something more tangible through discussion, prototype development using 3D printing technique, repeated improvements, and finally, pitching.
As a mentor, I helped the students with sample analysis, poster preparation, and product commercialization planning. I wanted them to think, discuss, and arrive at their own solutions. To me, mentoring is not about telling students exactly what to do. It is about guiding them to become confident enough to make their own decisions. The students always exceeded my expectations.
The following days at Makerspace@UM were probably the most demanding. The team went through mentor review sessions, hands-on prototype development using 3D printing, and repeated pitching practices. We had long discussions, changed direction, and sometimes had to rethink certain ideas. The students became more confident in expressing their opinions, solving problems, and working together as a team.
Then came the Pitching Competition on 8 August.
The UTM team presenting their idea during the Pitching Competition.
Watching them present was a proud moment for me. Li Ying, Kok Yang, and Shin Thong did a very good presentation introducing their product – BloomShield”. Including Le Xuan, the four of them defended their idea and the prototype design confidently in front of the judges. The audience saw only a short presentation, but as their mentor, I saw everything behind it — the discussions, corrections, rehearsals, uncertainties, and many small improvements that brought them to that stage.
By the closing ceremony at Dewan Tunku Canselor, Universiti Malaya (UM), I realized that the most valuable outcome was not simply about winning. It was about learning how to turn an idea into action, accept feedback, communicate confidently, and keep improving when something doesn’t work the first time.
Together with my four UTM mentees at the National Maker-Preneur 2025/2026.
Special thanks to the organizers, Universiti Malaya and Makerspace@UM, for creating such a valuable learning platform. To Li Ying, Kok Yang, Shin Thong, Le Xuan and Ke Xin, who was absent during the program, I hope this experience stays with you beyond the competition. Keep questioning, experimenting, and creating.
For me, these three days at UM were not simply another mentoring programme. They reminded me that mentors also learn from their students through their creativity, energy, resilience, and willingness to try. That’s what made this journey truly meaningful.
