When Keisha completed her Diploma in Information Technology at SIM, continuing her studies was never a question. The only question was what to study next. She looked at where the industry was heading and made sure her education was heading there too.
"Areas like AI and data were becoming increasingly important in the tech industry," she shared, "so I wanted to study something that would keep me aligned with those developments."
That led her to the Bachelor of Computer Science (Big Data), awarded by the University of Wollongong in Australia and completed through SIM. The programme gave her more than technical rigour. Lecturers flew in directly from UOW during the final year, and exchange programme opportunities made the experience feel genuinely global. For a student who had already committed to thinking ahead, it was exactly the kind of environment she needed.
Building Employability Before Graduation
Keisha's story stands out for one reason. By the time she crossed the graduation stage, she had already started working. That kind of readiness does not happen overnight. It is built across years of intentional choices, both inside and outside the classroom.
One of those choices was not waiting until graduation to start gaining real experience. While still studying, she built a marketing website for the homestay she was living in. She sat down with the landlord, understood what was needed, and delivered something that worked for a real person with a real need.
"Even though it was a relatively small project, it was a meaningful experience for me because it allowed me to apply technical skills while working on a real-world use case."
It was small, but it was real. And it gave her something no module could fully teach.
She Treated Student Life As A Second Education
For Keisha, student life was never just about attending class and going home. From the moment she arrived at SIM, she treated every opportunity outside the classroom as a chance to learn something her degree could not teach her.
The Indonesian Community was the first student group she joined, where she contributed to photography, videography, and event coverage as part of the Design and Publications committee. As a Student Ambassador, she volunteered at open houses, graduation ceremonies, and community service events, learning how to engage with people and handle different situations with confidence.
In AIESEC, she started on the Incoming Exchange team, working to connect companies with internship opportunities for international students. Just one month in, she put herself forward for a Team Leader role before she even felt ready.
"After about a month, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and applied for a Team Leader role."
Leading a sub-team, running meetings, and facilitating workshops, she was gaining the kind of leadership experience that most people only encounter years into their careers.
She Used Every Resource SIM Put In Front Of Her
Entering the job market is daunting for any student. For an international student, it carries an extra layer of complexity. Keisha did not try to navigate it alone. Through Career Connect, SIM's career development service, she attended resume consultations and sat down with the guidance team to think through her options and direction.
"They helped me refine my resume and gave useful advice on how to present my skills and experiences more effectively. The guidance and experiences I gained through Career Connect helped me better understand the job search process and prepared me more confidently for entering the workforce."
Beyond using the service, she gave back to it too, taking on the role of Events and Logistics Director under Career Champs, a Career Connect community that helped international students access career opportunities in Singapore and abroad.
Recognition That Pushed Her Further
Keisha's efforts did not go unnoticed. She received the SIM Academic Excellence and Leadership Scholarship, which eased the financial burden of her studies and gave her more space to invest fully in her university experience. She also received the EDGE Award, recognising not just her academic results but her leadership and contribution to student life.
"It felt like a meaningful recognition of the effort I had put into my studies and extracurricular activities during my time at SIM. The scholarship motivated me to take on roles in different student organisations and step outside my comfort zone."
At the graduation ceremony, Keisha was also presented with the IRAS Gold Award, awarded to the top performing graduate from her programme. Rather than treating any of it as a finish line, the recognition pushed her to keep going.
And When She Started Work, She Was Ready
Today, Keisha is a Software Engineer at a fintech company in Jakarta, building cash management systems for banks and their corporate clients. The Java she studied in class, she writes at work. The agile methodologies and software development concepts she was introduced to at SIM made stepping into her first role feel less like a leap and more like a natural continuation.
"Having already been exposed to these practices during my studies made it easier to understand how development teams operate in a real working environment."
Looking back, Keisha credits her employability to the range of experiences she was able to build at SIM. It was not any single achievement. It was the combination of technical knowledge from her programme and everything she chose to do beyond it — the clubs, the projects, the volunteering, the conversations — that quietly compounded into something employers noticed before she had even graduated.
"Don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try new things, because those experiences often teach you just as much as your academic studies."
Keisha came to Singapore as a student. She left as a scholarship recipient, an award winner, a leader, and a Software Engineer. Everything she built started with one decision, which was to get involved in every facet of university life that would help her grow. And it paid off many folds.