Kayaking for credits

Taking to the waters, Class of 2022 alumna Alena LIM, who majored in Statistics and minored in Economics, paddled her way to 4 modular credits (MCs) and skills to plan kayaking expeditions through Design-Your-Own-Module (DYOM) when she was an undergraduate student at the Faculty of Science.

As part of the TeamNUS Outdoor Education Network (OE-Net) which seeks to promote outdoor learning, leadership and sports, Alena embarked on proficiency training in DISC (behavioural self-assessment) tools, vlogging and Occupational Rehabilitation and Medical Services (ORAMS) to develop the DYOM.

She says, “I thoroughly enjoyed the experience! I gained MCs while enjoying kayaking co-curricular activities at the same time.”

She adds, “We felt a sense of achievement when our planned expedition became reality.”

The experience of working with her peers and staff advisor, an experienced kayaker, taught her the importance of teamwork and collaboration. She also learned the value of being meticulous in the expedition planning process. Interestingly, the DISC profiling also gave her better insights into her personality. In discovering her teammates’ diverse personalities and opinions at the same time, Alena learned how to better manage conflict in the process.

These are soft skills that are now helpful in her work as a Management Associate at OCBC Bank.