Captured after delivering a Presentation to UNICEF Vietnam on STEAM/STEM education in preschools
Part-1: From Reel to Real
I vividly remember the icebreaker questions that all my classmates asked each other during the initial days of the program in January 2023. Everyone in my cohort was excited as Vietnam returned as a host country for Ivey Global Lab (IGL) after three years, making 4 countries for MSc IB students to choose from – India, Peru, Vietnam, and Thailand. I spoke to students from the previous cohort and I decided to go to Peru for my IGL. Being someone who loves to plan, I already had the company and my travel itinerary decided for it. As we approached the final allotment date of companies and countries, Peru got called off due to instability in the country and I got Vietnam assigned as my host country and KidsOnline, an EdTech startup, as a company I would collaborate with over the period of 8 weeks. While Vietnam was not my first preference, I’m glad I went there. This taught me a great deal about being adaptable to changes and finding reasons to celebrate milestones as they come.
Part-2: From Blank Page to Action to Insights
Xin chào, Vietnam!
Hello, Vietnam!
Sometimes, a single course of action can change a student’s life. That’s what happened to me when I reached Hanoi, Vietnam on May 14, 2023. From day-1, I encountered many instances of cultural immersion ranging from local food choices to the working style to their speaking style, and most importantly, their hospitality. We were 24 students in the hotel, divided by companies and united by food! Every day, many of us would chit-chat during breakfast before leaving for our workplace. During weekends, my friends and I would check out the popular ‘night market’ in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. It's an old part of Hanoi which has more than 36 streets combined, that has everything a market can have! From street food to international cuisines; from thrift shops to Vietnamese brands; from souvenirs to famous paintings; from flower shops to pottery workshops and so much more! ‘Pho’ is definitely my favourite local dish! It had a good mix of ingredients and spices which I never tried in India before. I also tried the well-known Vietnamese Egg Coffee from the café it originated and it tasted like a liquid version of Tiramisu- a must-try while in Hanoi! I would definitely go back to Hanoi for the food and beverages minus the sun tan!
Working at KidsOnline as a Strategy Consultant was a remarkable experience for me. I never considered working for an EdTech company before which made the 56-day time period informative and impactful. Our project involved heavy primary research for which my team and I collaborated with over 50 preschools and stakeholders, including UNICEF Vietnam. We spoke with a few notable Education Consultants who work in Apple Education and Vietnam National University and understood the factors to be considered well while presenting our final deliverable to the Co-founder of KidsOnline and IGL supervisors.
From one preschool to another- I engaged with many students engaging in STEAM/STEM classes and learned various aspects that the schools have been battling through in providing holistic education to preschool students in North Vietnam. One of the core memories of visiting the schools is when the students came running to me and gave me a high-five or a fist bump while greeting me as a teacher. They would go “Hello, teacher, how are you today?” Their energy was contagious and it would always make me smile so wide even if I wasn’t feeling active. While speaking with the school administrators and principals, some information would be lost in translation. This taught me a very important lesson to convey the message as crisply and clearly as possible while communicating cross-culturally. Consequently, I honed the skill of speaking in shorter sentences and to the point.
Part-3: From Unlearning to Learning to Relearning
Before our Interim presentations, IGL group leaders had planned a trip to Ha Long Bay, a 2-day Cruize, for all the students. This was a perfect weekend getaway to feel refreshed and spend some time off-screen. Taking a dip in Ti Top Beach in the Bay area was one of the liveliest activities of my IGL! The next day we went Kayaking and it added substance to the proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far- go together.” Teamwork always wins! It somehow boosted my self-confidence and I directed it toward achieving accomplishing daily goals in the next following days. After the Interim presentation in the middle of June, my team and I received great appreciation from our Co-founder and IGL supervisors, however, we all knew we need to do better in the final. The only way we could achieve the results was to reflect on our individual work and teamwork. We gave each other feedback and improved thereafter. There were conflicts in the team, avoidance of communication, and all sorts of broken messages that were not beneficial to any of us. As a natural-born leader, I took the initiative of starting the conversation and fostered an environment where we could openly discuss issues and resolve them. Soon, the team resumed working collectively rather than individually. There were multiple fresh perspectives brewing. By the end of IGL, all of us simplified the workload of our team members and gained vast knowledge about the preschool education system in Vietnam and its neighbouring countries. This 56-day time period captured numerous valuable insights that I gained on the professional and personal front that I will carry on forever in my life. The most significant lesson I learned from working in a dynamic team coming from a diverse background is that their uniqueness is what drives innovation and sometimes, differences are required to brainstorm new ways to handle tasks.
Part 4: Moving in Confidence
IGL Supervisors applauded the team's effort in providing the final deliverables in a visually appealing slide deck and acknowledged every team member’s effort in presenting confidently. After the final presentation on July 6th, the co-founder of KidsOnline discussed my performance throughout the program and recognized my ability to thrive in a dynamic environment with a calm demeanor. She shared with me detailed feedback outlining my stellar problem-solving skills, communication, and presentation skills with more emphasis on cultural sensitivity, professionalism, and multi-stakeholder handling skills as well as high EQ. Her positive remarks surely boosted my self-confidence and I look forward to collaborating with her in the future and making a concrete impact on society with the lessons learned throughout.
I went to Vietnam with my classmates and returned to Canada with solid friendships. I loved every bit of IGL; all the discomfort in May started to feel like a deep comfort in July. I enjoyed the challenges so much that by the end of IGL, 8 weeks looked like a short amount of time. I took a blank canvas and painted many memories in a corner of the world that I did not dream to go to in the next few years. In hindsight, the Summer of 2023 will always be a memorable one for me!
Team KidsOnline posing for a picture after interviewing the Principal of a Preschool in Hanoi, Vietnam
Engaging with preschoolers in Hanoi and learning about their thought processes during a STEAM class
Captured on the Cruize in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
IGL Vietnam meets IGL Thailand in Bangkok while visiting the Grand Palace during cultural immersion
In conversation with Ms. Ha (co-founder of KidsOnline) where we discussed the impact of Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence in the preschool education system in Vietnam
Hotel Staff and onsite IGL Supervisors in Vietnam organized Networking and Recreational Evening for MSc students in the Hotel and gave away prizes to winners