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Happy to be bonded

WHEN 18-year-old scholar Apoorva Sachdev is asked for her thoughts on being bonded, she says: "It's more like a mentorship programme with immense opportunities in the future.

"The bond is actually a blessing in disguise because it brings with it a lot of security. As soon as I finish college I know where I will work.

"The sponsoring companies are leaders in the infocomm industry, and working with them is a privilege."

Ms Sachdev is the recipient of a National Infocomm Scholarship (NIS), which is administered by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and sponsored by various companies such as Barclays, Intel, M1, Microsoft, Oracle, SingTel, StarHub and UOB.

She researched the companies' culture and employee expectations to decide which was a good fit for her studies. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California (UC), Berkeley.

She says: "I'm greatly influenced by my father, who works in the IT (information technology) industry. He kindled my interest in the field by exposing me to the advancements in the technology sector."

"Being in Singapore for the past six years, I have learnt to appreciate how technology is integrated in day-to-day living to make life more comfortable," says the India-born teenager.

At the Global Indian International School in Queenstown, where she obtained an International Baccalaureate Diploma, she studied math, physics and chemistry in her senior year.

"I applied for a National Info-comm Scholarship because it is associated with the top infocomm companies, which means an unparalleled experience," she says.

"I have always wanted to be a scholar because I wanted to finance my own education and I don’t want to burden my parents. Additionally, it is a very proud feeling to be a scholar and be sponsored by IDA and IBM."

Last year, IDA awarded a total of 48 scholarships from 29 sponsoring organisations.

The application process involved being interviewed by three companies, and Ms Sachdev finally accepted an offer by IBM.

Just six months into her scholar’s life, the UC Berkeley undergraduate is enjoying her studies.

"IDA and IBM have both been really supportive in helping us familiarise ourselves with the scholarship requirements and its expectations."

"IBM organised a one-to-one info session with its chief executive officer to acquaint us with the organisational structure and to give us a clear picture of where we should see ourselves five years down the line," she says.

On being overseas on her own the first time, she says: "It's a mixture of excitement and nervousness."

"I’ve always wanted to attend UC Berkeley because it is one of the top universities for technology and it encourages creative thinking, experimentation and risk-taking. The scholarship helped me turn my dream into reality," she says.

Besides attending lectures, she has a part-time research internship involving the use of multiple sensors mounted on unmanned autonomous vehicles.

She is also part of the Society of Women Engineers and two dance teams — Danceworx, a hip-hop group, and Satrang, an Indian modern dance group.

"To a certain extent, being a scholar means extra pressure to attain the required GPA (grade point average) and to perform well. However, it acts as a motivation for me to do my best and push myself to achieve greater heights," she says.

"For me, considering the expectations as attainable goals rather than obligations is the best way to cope with them and achieve them."

Optimistic about her future, she says: "IT is definitely the next big thing in the world, and with Singapore surging ahead to be the IT hub, the opportunities are boundless.

"The industry in itself is very diverse and offers a lot of fields where one can specialise in."

"I plan to focus on network, system and communications, and I aspire to be a chief technology officer or chief information officer of a multinational corporation."

To those who think it is all boring geek stuff, she says: "They have yet explored the marvellous wonder of computer science."

"No doubt it is about programming and coding, but a major part of it entails understanding the logic behind the algorithms and designing ways to incorporate that knowledge into making useful products."