Turning Creativity Into Impact

Did you graduate from JIS? Can you tell us a bit about what you did after graduation/ leaving JIS?

I graduated in 2010; I joined in 2001, so I basically grew up at JIS. After graduation, I went on to study footwear design at the London College of Fashion at the University of the Arts London — yes, that’s a real bachelor’s degree! After London, I moved to Singapore and worked in the fashion industry for a while before deciding that I wanted to be an entrepreneur in the startup space. For the last three years, I was an in-house entrepreneur at a startup studio where my job was to innovate, build, and run multiple businesses at once, from food and fashion to tech.

Is this your first book as an author and creative director? What inspired you to publish this book?

Yes, Ready, Get Set, Connect! is the first book for which I was the author, creative director, and publisher! It’s the first book I’ve published under my new startup, Cyberlite Books, a boutique publishing house focused on delivering relevant topics that matter to children in an engaging fashion. The topic for our first book is cybersafety, and it was largely inspired by my co-founder Nina’s experience in that industry. Together, we saw a huge gap in the market for cybersafety awareness for kids and decided to produce a fully illustrated, interactive workbook. Developing this book was very creatively cathartic, as I had complete freedom and control in the written content and artwork.

How did JIS help you pursue and develop your passion for art?

I definitely credit a lot of my artistic development to Mr. White and IB Higher Art! It was in those few years that I got to understand the importance of experimentation and received encouragement for stepping outside the norm. The sense of agency that was instilled in me in JIS to go down the creative path led me to feel very certain of myself and my decision to pursue the arts in university.

What are you doing now? And what skills did you learn at JIS that help you in your current career?

I’m perpetually a serial entrepreneur and currently the co-founder of Cyberlite Books. We’ve been very fortunate to be supported by some of the largest cybersecurity firms in the world and have sold over 32,000 books in our first six months. With this early validation, we’re now ramping up with big plans in EdTech and launching our second book soon! I attribute a lot of the traits that have brought me success to my time at JIS. Skills such as critical thinking, creative problem solving, and, to some extent, having a lot of personal conviction, have become useful tools to land big contracts and not shy away from a challenge. I didn’t realize until I started working that these things are quite unique to my upbringing at JIS and the value it has in the “real world.”

What advice would you give a student currently studying at JIS and hoping to make a career of their passion?

Be curious, stay open-minded, and go out to explore as much as you can! Make use of everything JIS has to offer because being exposed to all different experiences will broaden your thinking and make you better equipped for the real world. The road to making a career out of your passion may not be the clearest, straightest road ahead, but if you keep your mind open to opportunities, you will get there eventually. The great thing about being young and having dreams is that there’s a lot of time for you to pave your way and make your mark.