Harvard Innovation Challenge SouthEast Asia III

In partnership with the Global Citizen, the HGEM Innovation Challenge Southeast Asia III, organized by the Harvard Undergraduate Global Education Movement, will bring together over 200 delegates from different backgrounds and multiple speakers for a 3-day virtual conference, happening on July 23rd - July 25th, 2021.

The HGEM Innovation Challenge SEA III will focus on two tracks centered on Urbanization & Industrialization and Well-being & Equity to guide delegates through the different aspects of international development and to help them understand their role as citizens of the world.

Delegates will choose to join one of these tracks and then engage in track-specific discussions and seminar sessions featuring influential leaders from academia, business, and government. Throughout the virtual event, delegates will also have the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with other conference attendees from all over Southeast Asia.

After various workshops, delegates will work in small teams on an impactful “Solution Proposal” designed to tackle real-world problems and stimulate ideas for future collaborative projects. These proposals are comprehensive in nature and incorporate various media forms, policies, and entrepreneurial ideas. Students will be challenged in an open Questions and Answers session about their ideas, before presenting a final round proposal at the end of the conference. Finally, delegates will have a chance to meet in more informal settings during social events and panels.

PAST HIC SEA WInners

HIC SEA II WINNERS:

HIC SEA I WINNERS:

Individual Awards:

EDUCATION

Best Delegate: Magnus Mulhall

Outstanding Delegate: Martiza Y. Roberts

Honorable Mention: Dia Daryanani

EDUCATION

First Place: E-8

Goh Ray Wehn

Afrah Shuja

Niles Loh Xiang Xing

Second Place: E-9

Jun Yeong Park

Kristabella Naluz Alejandro

Rina Takata

Loh Jen Nin

Third Place: E-5

Yap Yanliang Amos

Elumalai Logeswaran

Aina Rakshit Yadanar Thein

PUBLIC HEALTH

Best Delegate: Adit Sivakumar

Outstanding Delegate: Maryam Khan

Honorable Mention: Samarth Kanwal

Past HIC SEA Conference Speakers

HIC SEA III Conference Speakers

Dr. Beverly ho

SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH – PHILIPPINES

Keynote Speaker

Beverly Lorraine Ho is the concurrent Director for Health Promotion Bureau and Disease Prevention and Control Bureau at the Department of Health - Philippines. 

Immediately prior, she was Chief of Research Division of the Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau where her efforts significantly contributed to the passage of key legislation on sugar-sweetened beverage tax, tobacco tax and universal health care. She has also worked in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and the Asian Development Bank. 

Bev is a fellow of the Maurice Greenberg World Fellows Program at Yale University, the Equity Initiative and the Atlantic Institute. She holds an MD from the University of the Philippines and an MPH in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as a Fulbright Scholar.

Roy Dahildahil

CO-FOUNDER, #MENTALHEALTHPH

Well-being & Equity Guest Speaker and Track Judge

Roy O. Dahildahil finished his master’s in science in Health Informatics in the University of the Philippines Manila in 2020 and graduated BS Public Health in the University of the Philippines Visayas in 2013. In 2016, together with Lawrence, Gilbert, Anica, and Yves, they co-founded #MentalHealthPH, a non-government organization that aims to promote and protect mental health in the Philippines through social media and digital technology. Guided by their 3S Framework (Self, Society, System) and 3Os approach (Online, On-ground, and Onward), #MentalHealthPH uses social media and digital technologies to improve access to information especially on how and where to seek help for mental health concerns, how to help others, and showcase what can be done to advocate for system change. #MentalHealthPH envisions a mentally healthy community. Roy is also a theater enthusiast, a storyteller, and a HIV and LGBTQIA+ advocate, and dreams of creating a world of acceptance by embracing vulnerabilities.

Dr. Michael Goh

VICE PRESIDENT FOR EQUITY AND DIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Well-being & Equity Guest Speaker

Michael Goh, PhD is vice president for equity and diversity for the University of Minnesota five-campus system. Prior to that, Dr. Goh served as the university’s Associate Vice Provost for Equity and Diversity and Director of the Institute for Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy (IDEA), whose mission is to sustain and support a diverse and interdisciplinary community of scholars who conduct research and produce scholarship on equity and diversity issues and topics. Originally from Singapore, Dr. Goh received his Bachelor of Arts degree double majoring in Psychology and Sociology and his Master of Science degree in Counseling and Counselor Education from Indiana University. He received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Goh is currently a professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) and affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change. Dr. Goh is an interdisciplinary intercultural scholar and educator who applies an interculturalist or culturally intelligent framework on multicultural and international counseling psychology, teacher education, and diversity and inclusion work in higher education. Dr. Goh’s teaching, research, and service are focused on discovering better ways to conceptualize, assess, and ultimately teach intercultural competence in order to improve access to mental health services for underserved populations. His current research program includes cultural competence in mental health practice, cultural intelligence in teaching and counseling, multicultural master therapists, practice-based evidence, and help-seeking behavior and attitudes across cultures and countries. Dr. Goh was voted Teacher of the Year in 1998 and received a Distinguished Teaching Award in 2006. Also in 2006, he was recognized by the Minnesota Psychological Association for his Distinguished Leadership in Psychology and Mental Health. In 2010, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development of the American Counseling Association presented Dr. Goh with the Exemplary Diversity Leadership Award and he was also named the inaugural recipient of the College of Education and Human Development Marty and Jack Rossman Faculty Development Award for his creativity and innovation in scholarship, teaching, and service. In 2018, the Pacific Circle Consortium honored Dr. Goh “for exemplary education and scholarly work across borders.” In 2021, Dr. Goh was appointed by the Minnesota State Governor to serve as a commissioner for the Midwestern Higher Education Compact and also appointed an inaugural senior fellow of the Minnesota Institute for Trauma Informed Education.

dr. Khee Poh Lam

PROFESSOR AND DEAN, SCHOOL OF DESIGN & ENVIRONMENT, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

PROFESSOR EMERITUS, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

Urbanization & Industrialization Guest Speaker

Professor Lam is an architect, educator, and researcher who specializes in computational design support systems for total building performance analysis and building diagnostics. He is a Director of the Centre for Liveable Cities Ltd., Singapore, and Advisory Board member of Delos, USA, which established the world's first building standard focused exclusively on human health and wellness. He is a building performance consultant for several major award-winning projects and certified green buildings in Singapore, China and the USA. He was awarded the 2013 Alexander Schwarzkopf Prize from the US National Science Foundation “for exemplary research contribution to technology innovation and positive impact on technology, industry, and the society as a whole.” He also received the IBM Faculty Award in 2010. He was conferred the inaugural iBuildSG LEAD Distinguished Fellow by the Building and Construction Authority, Singapore in 2020.

Chintan Raveshia

CITIES PLANNING + DESIGN LEADER, SINGAPORE

Urbanization & Industrialization Guest Speaker

With over 16 years of professional and lived experience across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, Chintan, a trained architect and practicing urban designer, has designed some of the most iconic projects globally. 

Chintan leads the Cities Planning + Design team for Arup in Southeast Asia and is responsible for ensuring technical excellence in his role as the Australasia Masterplanning Skills Leader. He has proven experience in master planning precincts and mixed-use developments, smart cities, transport and tourism strategies, urban regeneration, and designing successful transit-oriented developments.

He has lent his expertise to the High-Speed Line 2 in the United Kingdom, developed a vision for Singapore’s Smart Urban Habitat Masterplan, and is currently leading the design for Indonesia's new capital city. 

Passionate about the impact of climate change on cities, Chintan is undertaking research on the future of food manufacturing, walkability and autonomous vehicles to help shape more resilient South East Asian cities of the future. 

Truong Nguyen

HARVARD ADMISSIONS CENTER TOUR GUIDE

Crimson Experience Tour Guide

Truong is a rising junior at Harvard concentrating in Psychology with a secondary in Educational Studies. His main area of interest is on developmental psychology to gain a better understanding of the development of language, individuality, morals, and emotions in children and adolescents across different cultures. While at Harvard, Truong discovered his love for teaching and mentoring through his volunteer experiences with PBHA serving the Vietnamese community in Dorchester, MA, and his involvement with the Harvard Ed Portal and other educational outreach groups that work directly with students from China, Japan, and Vietnam. Truong developed his interest in the intersection between psychology and education and how we can apply psychological principles to enhance the practice of teaching and learning experience for both students and teachers. After college, Truong plans to attend medical school to become a Pediatrician. This summer, Truong is currently working as a research assistant at the Stress and Development Lab on a study seeking to gain further insight into how early life experiences impact processes that are connected to mental health in order to better help other teenagers who have been exposed to trauma. Outside of classes, Truong works as a tour guide for the Harvard Visitor Center while producing his own podcast about college life and college admissions to provide additional resources for first-generation low-income students.

Alexandria Ho

HARVARD CLASS OF 2024

Crimson Experience Panelist

Alexandria is a rising Sophomore at Harvard College studying History and Literature, with a secondary in Ethnicity, Migration, Rights. She is passionate about social justice, climate change, and educational equity and is an excited and committed member of HGEM’s Content Board (Best Board). Besides HGEM, she is also part of Harvard Vietnamese Association, the Asian American Womxn's Association, a writer for the flyby blog of the Crimson, and also a tour guide for the Harvard Visitor Center.

Zad Chin

HARVARD CLASS OF 2024

Crimson Experience Panelist

Zad is an incoming Sophomore at Harvard in Adams House planning to concentrate in Computer Science, the Mind, Brain and Behaviour (MBB) track. Motivated by her family background,  Zad is passionate about the application of machine learning in the field of healthcare. Some interesting projects she did, including a machine learning model in predicting COVID-positivity and a Natural Language Processing (NLP) model for CDC with Harvard Tech for Social Good. This summer, she is working under Prof Finale in research about the geometry of health data to determine whether there is a relationship between socioeconomic status and diseases in the United States. Besides research, Zad is a marketing director and education outreach lead at MITxHarvard Women In AI, a committee member at Harvard Machine Intelligence Club, a software engineer at Harvard Tech 4 Social Good, and serves as a co-president at Harvard Singaporean, Indonesian and Malaysian Society. Beyond academics, Zad is passionate about social causes and entrepreneurship. In Malaysia, Zad has started various initiatives in tackling education inequality and has spoken at TEDx and UNDP Malaysia about it. 

Hien le

HARVARD CLASS OF 2024

Crimson Experience Panelist

Hien Le is a rising Sophomore at Harvard College intending to concentrate in History and Science (Mind, Brain and Behavior Track) with a potential secondary in Mathematical Sciences or Statistics. At HGEM, she is serving as a Junior Executive Officer of the Content Committee, involved in the content planning process for the conferences. She is always excited to meet and exchange inspirational ideas with our delegates!

Chuck Yi

HARVARD CLASS OF 2022

Crimson Experience Panelist

Hi! I'm Chuck, a rising senior from Singapore who's studying Economics, Mind Brain Behaviour and Vietnamese! I love learning about the world and all that it has to offer, which is why I'm heavily involved in social science research, and artistic/musical pursuits at Harvard. Ask me about anything, from my erhu playing to the papers on healthcare and economics that I've written. I'm so excited to meet you all and to hear the questions you have to ask (and you only learn by asking!) 

Tolulope olasewere

CO-FOUNDER, BUILD NIGERIA

Harvard Entrepreneurs Panelist

Tolulope is a rising Senior at Harvard University studying a double major in Government and Philosophy. She was born in Lagos, Nigeria and is the Co-Founder of BUILD Nigeria, a non profit dedicated to bridging the college access gap in Nigeria for low income and first generation Nigerian students. When she is not applying a Nigerian lens to her studies, you can find her exploring her passion for education by leading a passionate team at BUILD Nigeria, and teaching in different classrooms. She teaches civic education to Boston elementary school students through CIVICS, she taught poetry to teenagers in Hong Kong through Summerbridge Hong Kong, and worked as a counsellor to 10-12 year-old-students at the Mission Hill Afterschool Program in Boston. In addition, she also serves as the Director of Internal Affairs for the Harvard Global Education Movement which is an organization that organizes conferences for high school students globally to challenge them to innovate solutions to issues in their region.

Ife Adeogun

CO-FOUNDER, BUILD NIGERIA

Harvard Entrepreneurs Panelist

Ife Adeogun is a Sophomore at Yale University studying Economics. She was born in Lagos, Nigeria and is a Co-Founder of BUILD Nigeria. She is passionate about innovation and knows that education is a huge constraint to unlocking the potential of Nigerian youth. She believes that Nigerians are among the most hard-working people in the world, but inequality means that many lack the tools and opportunities to efficiently approach the various problems they face in the way her American peers do.⠀⠀⠀⠀

As a member of Yale African Students Association, she has witnessed the amazing successes of KENSAP, USAP, Bridge2Rwanda and many other college access programs. After she sought out, listened and learned from her Yale classmates, many of whom also came from underserved backgrounds in their respective African countries, she realized that a dedicated college access program could have the same impact on many Nigerian students.

Countries like Rwanda and Kenya are creating a pipeline for world-class educated citizens who were passionate about their country and wanted to give back and use their newfound ways of thinking to approach problems with grit and innovation.

This is what BUILD Nigeria was created upon, and this is what she hopes BUILD Nigeria will become. Read more about BUILD at buildng.org.

William Wu

HARVARD ENTREPRENEUR

Harvard Entrepreneurs Panelist

William is a junior at Harvard concentrating in Economics, with a secondary in Environmental Science and Public Policy. His experience in entrepreneurship ranges across from being a startup founder to a venture capitalist. When he was a junior in high school, he founded a social enterprise that sells artisanal planters to raise awareness for the visually impaired community and donates to the Taiwan Guide Dog Association to vaccinate newborn puppies. After getting a taste of how entrepreneurship can create tangible impacts, he started to work as a venture intern at AI Fund, where he sources promising technology startups in need of investing and advising. Outside of academics, William pursues his interest in renewable technology through the Harvard Clean Energy Group and cultural heritage through Harvard Taiwanese Cultural Society. William is currently on leave with a PwC Strategy& consulting internship in New York. When he is not working, you can find him singing, playing guitar, or writing blogs about the automotive industry.

jerry huang

FOUNDER AND CEO, DATRYX TECHNOLOGIES

Harvard Entrepreneurs Panelist

Jerry studied at Harvard University as a Computer Science and Statistics joint concentrator. Now he is the founder and CEO of a manufacturing SaaS startup: Datryx Technologies. Based in Shanghai, Datryx is committed to build technical infrastructure for global manufacturing clients by providing single-stop SaaS software to help factories go more digitized and automated in MES – manufacturing execution, ERP – enterprise resource management, and supply chain management.

Mia Nguyen

OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE, THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY (TKS)

Well-being & Equity Track Guest Judge

Mia Nguyen is a political economist by learning and a business strategist by doing. She is passionate about education innovation and healthcare accessibility. She is currently the Operations Associate at The Knowledge Society (TKS), a human accelerator that trains students from 13 – 17 years old to become the next unicorn people. Her expertise lies in go-to-market strategies, multi-sectoral partnership development, and project execution. She leverages her strengths to help international NGOs, SMEs, and government sectors implement impact projects in Southeast Asia and Canada. Mia graduated from the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, majored in Political Economy & Asia-Pacific Studies.

Vikram Gulecha

CO-FOUNDER (STRATEGY & ALLIANCES), OCEO WATER

Urbanization & Industrialization Track Guest Judge

People often describe Vikram to be an upbeat, self-motivated team player with excellent communication skills. He is Co-founder (Strategy & Alliances) at OCEO WATER, based in Bangalore. Passionate about social impact ventures, OCEO WATER  is building a decentralised, proactively managed system which is aligned to support the digitalisation efforts under the Jal Jeevan Mission taken up by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. Besides being a Jala Senani (Water Warrior) of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), he was also selected for the India Innovators Program organised by Trade and Investment Queensland Department of Queensland Government.

OCEO WATER digital solutions have the power to engage with consumers more closely than ever before, save billions through operational efficiencies, improve service levels and reliability, and map water quality data for social good. In the near future, he aims to make consumers, stakeholders and regulators view water as more advanced than energy.

Rajeev Krishna

FOUNDER AND CEO, ATECHTRON; CO-FOUNDER AND CTO, OCEO

Urbanization & Industrialization Track Guest Judge

Rajeev Krishna is the founder of ATechTron and co-founder of OCEO. With over 5 years of experience in research and development, new product innovation, market study and business ownership, has tried to reduce the pollution level in Bangalore, which is the number one congested city in the world, through visionary actions of installing outdoor air purifiers in traffic junctions and providing Personal Water ATMs. He has completed his MBA in International Business and Finance from University of Memphis and MBA in Finance from Alliance University. He completed his Engineering from JSSATE where he helped the DROD in developing new technology related to unmanned Naval Vessels.  

He is the co-founder of Oxus projects which is the first start-up TV show in India, with a goal to nourish Budding Entrepreneurs. He is a core member of EAB, an NGO which deals with conservation and protection of natural resources. Being a Co-founder of WSCLM-Ardot he was able to drive the logistics and supply chain management with green innovations.

He is a co-founder of Value Pill which is a B2B Place for all medical items. He is trying to make medicine available to everyone even in remote places in India improving their life expectancies. 

Being a passionate agriculturist himself, trying out new improved methods of mechanised farming, he has led a sampling plantation initiative with over 35,000 saplings successfully planted. 

He is the Economic Coverner for the Bangalore south; through his innovative ideas, he is trying to help the new start-ups and make Bangalore a better city to live for everyone. 

Marissa Sumathipala

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL

COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY RESEARCHER, BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPITAL

Urbanization & Industrialization Track Guest Judge

Marissa is a senior at Harvard University studying Computational Neuroscience with a secondary in Chemistry. She has previously conducted both wet-lab and computational biology research and combines both in her current research on large scale sequencing of synapses in the human cortex. Marissa is a Three Dot Dash Global Teen Leader, Glamour Magazine College Woman of the Year, and winner of the Collegiate Award from the National Center for Women in Technology. Outside of research and classes, Marissa is president of the Harvard Figure Skating Club, Editor-in-Chief of Harvard's popular science magazine, and Chair of Science Communication at the iGEM Foundation.

HIC SEA II Conference Speakers

Adna Rahman

HEAD OF ENREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION CENTER FOR THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Keynote Speaker

Adna Rahman (“Adna”) is the Head for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre for the Ministry of Education in Brunei Darussalam. With more than 20 years of experience in vast areas of entrepreneurship from his former roles as an avid entrepreneur, mentor, entrepreneurship educator and ecosystem builder. Prior to his current role, Adna was involved in the creation of a multi-disciplinary platform for the student-entrepreneurs and start-ups studying at the University of Brunei Darussalam. Since 2014, Adna has incubated more than 300 student-entrepreneurs including community-startups within Brunei Darussalam and South East Asia; where his mentoring philosophy was to enable student-entrepreneurs to take (and learn from) failure as a means to succeed. More than 30% of his student-entrepreneurs were able to sustain their businesses until to date. 

Adna also carried the role of Project Executive Director for National Entrepreneurship Agenda from 2014 until 2019, where he led several multi-institutional teams to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem for the education industry in Brunei Darussalam. Adna benefited immensely through his involvement and educational participation with Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) and Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) along with some prominent entrepreneurial hubs in South East Asia including exemplary top institutions Harvard University, Babson College and University California San Diego. 

 His current and paying forward goal is to embed entrepreneurial and innovative mindset and culture for the students’ sustainable future. Adna currently resides in Brunei Darussalam with his beloved family of four: Lenny, Aiman and Mia.

Tiza Mafira

CLIMATE POLICY INITIATIVE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Sustainability and Climate Action Guest Speaker

Tiza Mafira is CPI’s Associate Director, based in Indonesia, where she leads a team of analysts to deliver robust studies on climate finance effectiveness and innovations for policy-makers. With a background in environmental law, Tiza is a public policy expert specializing in land use and climate finance.

Tiza joined CPI in 2014, and played a large role in establishing the Indonesia office. Tiza has led work at CPI on improving land productivity through fiscal policy, a focus study on Indonesia’s Village Fund, as well as a study that maps, for the first time, the flow, supply chain, and efficiency of oil palm in East Kalimantan.  She is also part of a technical experts team facilitating Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Finance in establishing an Environmental Fund Public Services Agency.

Tiza is frequently invited to speak at major events, such as the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties, Asia-Europe Environment Forum, and Asia-Europe Meeting SMEs Eco-Innovation Center (ASEIC), among others.

She is also the Executive Director of the Indonesia Plastic Bag Diet Movement, a community-based organization which advocates for policies and awareness to reduce single-use plastics. Her activism in this field earned her a mention by the UN Environment as one of five global Ocean Heroes in 2018.

Prior to joining CPI, Tiza worked as a corporate attorney in Jakarta specializing in natural resources and forestry law. She has also worked at the Office of the Special Staff of the President during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s term as a speech writer and climate change policy handler. She holds a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Laws from Universitas Indonesia, with studies focusing on environmental law and climate change.

Professor Anthony Medrano

PROFESSOR OF ENVIORNMENTAL STUDIES AT YALE-NUS COLLEGE

Sustainability and Climate Action Guest Speaker

Anthony D. Medrano is the National University of Singapore (NUS) Presidential Young Professor of Environmental Studies at Yale-NUS College. He is also a research associate in the Inter-Asia Engagements cluster at the Asia Research Institute. His teaching and scholarship explore the interplay between people and fish, science and society, and technology and nature in Southeast Asia in the long twentieth century. Prior to joining Yale-NUS College, he was a Ziff Environmental Fellow at Harvard University. His work has appeared in publications such as Explorations, Edge Effects, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, and Journal of Asian Studies. Medrano is completing his first book manuscript titled The Edible Ocean: Science, Industry, and the Rise of Urban Southeast Asia, which is under contract with Yale University Press. He has degrees from Humboldt (BA), Hawaii (MA), and Wisconsin (PhD).  

Solonia Teodros

ENTREPRENEUR

Youth Empowerment Guest Speaker

American-born-Taiwanese-Ethiopian, Solonia’s personal and professional journey has comprised of culturally-enriched life chapters in the US, Asia and Europe, a portfolio career in various professional roles and sectors, and a wealth of experience in helping people to discover their strengths, define their values, and transform this awareness into meaningful actions and choices.    

A TEDx speaker, reputable leader, and recognised coach, trainer, and facilitator, she is driven by a passion to empower individuals, teams, and communities to strive, thrive and succeed in creating sustainable impact as agents of change and citizens of the world.

Her foundational education in International Relations and Business have shaped her body of work as a creative entrepreneur, transformation strategist, and storyteller. Today, her journey continues to evolve in various professional roles, including Thrive Coach at The Change School; Advisor at Antler, and Director of Communications, Culture and Enablement at RAY ALLEN, INC

Dr. Yang Mee Eng

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ASEAN FOUNDATION

Youth Empowerment Guest Speaker

Dr. Yang worked in private and government sectors for over 26 years. She was most recently the Senior Vice President at Alphacap. There, she assisted SMEs companies and led the development and execution of Bloconomic Expo 2019, a platform aimed at creating a vast network of blockchain entrepreneurs and developers in the fast-evolving blockchain companies. Prior to that, she was the CEO of Gameview, the largest mobile game publisher in Malaysia, where she oversaw more than 50 staff members in their three offices in Malaysia, China and Thailand.

Before moving to the private sector, Dr. Yang spent 19 years working as the Business Development Manager at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation. There, she sought to build Malaysia as a creative economy hub and led the implementation of One Source Multi Usage for cross-platform business models to fully tap into the potential of locally-produced content. Yang also led the Digital Media sector foresight studies and created Malaysia's creative industry forecast for 30 years (2019-2050) roadmap under Mega Science 3.0 project with Academy Science of Malaysia. Prior to entering the government sector, Dr. Yang spent eight years in the media and broadcasting field, working as producer and head of production at, among others, Radio Television Malaysia, Astro, TV 3 and Young Asia Television.

Aside from her professional work, she’s also the Co-Founder and President of the Spina Association of Malaysia as well as the President of World Game Blockchain Association. Furthermore, Yang is part of the international advisory panel for Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission, University Tenaga National and Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur.

Zal Dastur

CO-FOUNDER AND COO OF LUCEP

Sustainability and Climate Action Guest Judge

Zal is the Co-founder and COO of Lucep, an enterprise SaaS company that helps businesses manage their lead distribution from digital channels to their sales agents. Lucep currently has clients in more than 20 countries working with Fortune 500 companies such as Citibank, Mercedes-Benz, CBRE, Metlife, AIA, Audi, DHL and many more. Zal has been an entrepreneur for almost his whole career focusing mainly on the sales, marketing and go-to-market side of the business and leaving the tech side to his partners. Zal marries an ability to understand technology and how it would solve various problems for different businesses in the real world. Zal brings with him a wealth of knowledge of dealing with enterprise clients and an understanding of now to navigate the complex inner workings of these organizations.

Benjamin Wong

CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF KINOBI

Youth Empowerment Guest Judge

Benjamin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kinobi, a career accelerator for Asia's 200 million undergraduates (https://kinobi.asia). Previously, he was in investments, covering private equity, debt and real estate across Asia, Europe and US in a global boutique multi-family office and an Asian megafund. He believes in building companies with robust enterprise valuations that create impact for the communities it serves. Throughout his life, he has built several communities around his passions - in mentoring (The Mentoring Circle), horology (Atomos Watch Club) and academia (Cogito Collective). He can be seen interacting with the young gentlemen at Singapore Boys Home, which he makes it a point to prioritise.

Eleftheria Papadaki

DOCTORAL CANDIDATE AT HARVARD LAW SCHOOL

Beyond Harvard College Panelist

Eleftheria Papadaki is a doctoral candidate at Harvard Law School. Her research focuses on legal theory, moral and political philosophy. Her studies and research have also focused on constitutional law, comparative constitutional law, and international law. She has served as a teaching fellow at Harvard College, as well as a teaching assistant, Graduate Program fellow, and summer academic fellow at Harvard Law School. Eleftheria has held positions as a line editor, executive submissions editor, and submissions reader at the Harvard International Law Journal. Eleftheria has also studied at the Hague Academy of International Law, as well as at the International Academy for Arbitration Law in Paris. 

In addition to her academic pursuits, Eleftheria has interned at the University of Macedonia in the Department of International and European Studies at the Jean Monnet Chair “New Dimensions on EU Legal Studies,” and volunteered at Médecins du Monde. Eleftheria worked as a trainee lawyer for two years in Thessaloniki, Greece. She had the honor to serve as the President of the Trainee Lawyers Committee (former Association) of Thessaloniki, in addition to her work as a board member of the Young and Trainee Lawyers Association of Thessaloniki, Greece. She is a member of the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy, the American Constitution Society, and the Harvard International Arbitration Law Students Association. Eleftheria holds a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School, as well as a Master of Laws, with highest honors, in International Law and Bachelor of Laws from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Maggie Beazer

MD CANDIDATE AT HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL

Beyond Harvard College Panelist

Maggie Beazer is a first-year MD candidate at Harvard Medical School. She grew up in Utah and graduated from Harvard College in 2020 with a concentration in History & Science. As an undergraduate she researched HIV/AIDS in Sweden and ultimately wrote a thesis on depictions of HIV/AIDS in film. Her primary academic interests are surgery, pediatrics, and epidemiology. 

Outside of the classroom, she’s involved in student government and a leader of a mentorship program for elementary school students in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood. In her free time, she likes to go to the movies (pre-COVID), explore the city on runs, and sample vegan food.

Anh Ton

MBA CANDIDATE AT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

Beyond Harvard College Panelist

Anh Ton is a current MBA candidate at Harvard Business School. Prior to HBS, she was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company in New York and a Social Responsibility Lead at McKinsey’s Global Social Responsibility Group. She had brief stints at Goldman Sachs New York, L.E.K. Consulting Singapore, and Deloitte Vietnam. She graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Secondary Field in Psychology in 2017.

Aaron Brennan Benavidez

DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Beyond Harvard College Panelist

Aaron Brennen Benavidez is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. A six-time winner of the Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, given by the Office of Undergraduate Education, and winner of the 2018 Derek C. Bok Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching of Undergraduates, given each academic year by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to the five most outstanding Teaching Fellows in GSAS, Aaron is committed to undergraduate education not only in his research but in his pedagogical practice. 

He earned his B.A. in Sociology and Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley, with highest honors, in 2011. His research examines institutional and city-level factors shaping college persistence, trajectory, and completion. His research is funded by the Inequality and Social Policy Doctoral Fellows Program.

Ruth Jaensubhakij

HARVARD COLLEGE STUDENT

Welcome to Harvard Panelist

Ruth Jaensubhakij is a current junior at Harvard pursuing a degree in Social Studies with a secondary in Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights and a Thai language citation. Originally from Singapore, she has also lived in New York and London, and is eagerly looking forward to the day when she can travel the world again! Her interests include transitional justice, international human rights policy, migration, special needs education, and youth mentorship. She's particularly enjoyed pursuing these interests through her time spent as an 8th-grade teacher in Chinatown, as well as an internship with International Justice Mission. Outside of class, you can often find her singing with her a cappella group the Harvard Callbacks, working with students through Chinatown Afterschool and the Peer Advising Fellows program, doing Asian-American activism work with the Harvard Task Force for Asian American Progressive Advocacy and Studies (TAPAS), and creating community with Harvard Christian Impact. She also works for the Thai Studies Program at the Harvard Asia Center, and as a student mentor for the Radcliffe Emerging Leaders Program. Finally, Ruth loves meeting new people, trying new recipes, exploring cities on foot, and making Spotify playlists to destress.

Albert Shin

HARVARD COLLEGE STUDENT

Welcome to Harvard Panelist

Albert is a junior at Harvard in Quincy House studying Applied Math and Economics and is originally from small town rural Georgia. On campus, Albert is involved in a lot of dance—in Eleganza Show, Harvard Expressions Dance Company, and Harvard Asian American Dance Troupe. He also is a board member of Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association, an organization dedicated to spreading awareness and appreciation of Asian-American culture on campus. Albert is currently taking time off for the 2020-2021 school year, working at an ed-tech startup based on Seoul. Outside of class/work, you can find him taking dance classes and hanging out with his friends, or both at the same time.

Fresh Pisuttisarun

HARVARD COLLEGE STUDENT

Welcome to Harvard Panelist

Fresh is recognized in Thailand for his work in inventing an origami-inspired tactile mathematical visualization tool that is nationally implemented to teach geometry to blind children and developing homophobia recognition artificial intelligence software adopted by online LGBTQ+ support chat networks in over ninety countries worldwide. As a student at Harvard University, Fresh is determined to meaningfully combine his passion for human-centered technology and advocacy through disruptive social entrepreneurship ideas.

Lanz Aaron Tan

HARVARD COLLEGE STUDENT

Welcome to Harvard Panelist

Originally from Manila, Philippines, Lanz is a junior at Harvard living in Quincy House and concentrating in Economics with a secondary in Film and Visual Studies. Outside of academics, Lanz is involved with the Harvard College Consulting Group and is also the film executive at The Harvard Crimson, where he covered the New York Film Festival twice (including the premiere of Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”). He’s also a film critic at a prominent national newspaper — The Philippine Star. Lanz is currently on leave with a consulting internship in EY. When Lanz isn’t working, you can probably find him watching a film (preferably gangster and preferably Scorsese).

Truong Nguyen

HARVARD COLLEGE STUDENT

Welcome to Harvard Panelist

Truong is a sophomore at Harvard concentrating in Psychology with a secondary in Educational Studies. His main area of interest is on developmental psychology to gain a better understanding of the development of language, individuality, morals, and emotions in children and adolescents across different cultures. While at Harvard, Truong discovered his love for teaching and mentoring through his volunteer experiences with PBHA serving the Vietnamese community in Dorchester, MA, and his involvement with the Harvard Ed Portal and other educational outreach groups on campus that work directly with students from China, Japan, and Vietnam. Truong developed his interest in the intersection between psychology and education and how we can apply psychological principles to enhance the practice of teaching and learning experience for both students and teachers. After college, Truong plans to attend medical school to become a Pediatrician. Outside of classes, Truong works as a tour guide for the Harvard Visitor Center while producing his own podcast about college life and college admissions to provide additional resources for first-generation low-income students.

HIC SEA I Conference Speakers

Levana Sani

CO-FOUNDER AT NALAGENETICS

Levana or Levi started as a science student in high school, then pursued Biochemistry and Entrepreneurship in University of Southern California, and then attended Harvard Business School. Levi co-founded Nalagenetics with a team of scientists she met in the Genome Institute of Singapore while she was working there as a research officer. Levi is passionate about public health, commercialization in science, and art. 

Check out her work here.

Chong Tee Lim

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER OF WATEROAM

No one should die of prolonged thirst – that’s the vision of Lim Chong Tee, co-founder of WateROAM, a startup that designs portable water filtration systems for use in disaster relief operations or rural communities without access to clean water. Their novel systems have since benefitted more than 15,000 people, including communities in Indonesia, Cambodia, Nepal and Myanmar. In his free time, Chong Tee also participates actively in volunteer work and social services as he believes education and ground up change will be the catalyst for poverty alleviation in Singapore. 

Joice Gumala

HEAD OF TOPICA NATIVE FOR TOPICA EDTECH GROUP

After gaining 5 years of experience in matching supply and demand at DuPont, Joice found her passion in education technology and built an edtech startup during her MBA. She led a team of 6 people in building Menduca, an on-demand mentoring marketplace and successfully helped 60+ customers gain admissions at their dream schools through near-peer mentoring. Currently she manages Product, Growth and Operations at Topica EdTech Group, the largest edtech startup in SE Asia.

Teerayut Yoonun

CHIEF PRODUCT & INNOVATION OFFICER AND CO-FOUNDER OF DOCTOR A TO Z

 “Everyone deserves to be saved” – The passion of Teerayut and the Doctor A to Z team. After graduating with a Bachelor degree from Mahidol University in the major of Faculty of Nursing, he used to work in medical fields with Thailand and international organizations in Cambodia for many years. From this position, he got a lot of experiences, learnt many things and coped up with many situations in both countries. Finally, he discovered a new service channel for local people and foreigner patients who are looking for medical service in Thailand. Now, Doctor A to Z has begun by the first healthcare ecosystem platform in Thailand, which integrates several healthcare components such as Hospitals, Expertise Doctors, Standard Drug Stores and other health services which relate to their requirements and depend on their affordable cost. This platform has delivered into 3 aspect values such as Save life, Save time and Save cost. Teerayut is the one who is pushing Thailand’s medical hub strategies to the Commissioner. 

Shanqing Yin (SQ)

DIRECTOR AT KK WOMEN’S & CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

More commonly known by his initials "SQ", Dr. Shanqing Yin is the Assistant Director of Human Factors & Systems Design at KK Women's & Children's Hospital in Singapore. SQ pioneered the integration of human factors science into Singapore's healthcare, looking to reduce the likelihood of human error as well as the resulting harm on healthcare professionals and patients. Simple interventions such as strategic use of informative nudges and visual guides embedded within healthcare processes have lowered the risk of healthcare-associated infections, which has become a key concern in the fight against the coronavirus. In a previous life, he was a pilot, until he crash landed into psychology and earned his doctoral wings.

Hien Dao

FOUNDER AND CEO OF GPA JSC. 

Hien is an education entrepreneur and investment advisor based in Hanoi. Born and raised in Vietnam, she recently returned home after 15 years of living and working in the U.S., Canada and Africa. Since 2013, she has been managing Golden Path Academics Vietnam JSC (GPA), an education organization that helps Vietnamese students succeed in a global world. GPA currently offers college prep, academic English training, after-school and summer camp programs to about 15,000 students across the country each year. 

In 2014, she started Rockit Online, Vietnam's first online learning program offering direct and live interaction between students and teachers via a virtual classroom. Rockit attracted capital investment from big U.S. start-ups funds such as Learn Capital, Formation 8 and Noodle to test our products in English training for youth and adults.

A graduate of Vietnam National University, Faculty of Foreign Language Teaching, she worked as an assistant reporter for the Associated Press in Hanoi from 1994 to 1997 and later became the first Vietnamese citizen to attend the Journalism program at Columbia University since 1975. She became an official correspondent of the international finance news agency Bloomberg News reporting from Africa and North America in 1998. In 2005, after finishing her 2nd Master’s degree – this time from Harvard Kennedy School – she became a policy advisor in Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s administration, where she worked until 2011.

She is a founding board member and a co-president of the Harvard Club in Vietnam. She currently serves on the Advisory Board, Asia Pacific Region, for the Harvard Business School. 

Evelyn wong

FOUNDER OF COVED 

With many schools closing their doors, students and families who have been affected by the pandemic struggle to continue remote learning from home. CovEducation is an educational non-profit based in the U.S. that aims to promote greater access to web-based curricula and academic support for K-12 students, facilitating the transition to virtual learning for students with limited access to resources. In addition to pairing K-12 mentees with undergraduate and graduate mentors for personalized mentorship, CovEd hosts a monthly Speaker Series and provides free web-based educational resources for students to continue their learning from home. As a student-led initiative with undergraduates, graduate students, and postgraduates representing over 360 colleges, CovEducation has served nearly 4000 mentees from all 50 states, reaching almost 80,000 web users across the globe and expanding to new branches such as CovEd India.

Evelyn, founder of CovEducation, is an S.B. Degree Candidate at Harvard University studying Neuroscience and Spanish Literature. A former coach, peer mentor, and teaching fellow, she aspires to empower low-income, first generation youth to achieve their highest potential. As a former DRCLAS Summer Fellow, she formerly taught at the School of Peace in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and worked with pediatric cancer patients at a hospital-based school in Santiago, Chile. During the academic term, she serves as the director of the Boston Refugee Youth Enrichment program and continues to serve as a peer mentor to other students through the Milken Scholars Program.