From building Lego to winning gold in engineering contest: How this Singapore Poly student nailed it
Her first Lego set laid the foundation for her passion for engineering.
At 19, Alysa Yeo is a gold medal winner in the field of additive manufacturing at the WorldSkills Singapore competition.
The mechanical engineering student, who is also pursuing a specialisation in precision engineering, is in her final year at Singapore Polytechnic.
In an interview with Stomp, Alysa described mechanical engineering as "a lot of math, computer work, 3D modelling and 3D printing."
"When I got my first Lego set in primary school, I decided right then and there that I would pursue engineering," she said.
"It was a Lego City submarine and a Ninjago machine that launches eggs.
"I love the act of building in general, and the tiny Lego people."
However, Alysa's journey was not without struggles.
"Finding jobs in additive manufacturing is hard," Alysa shared.
"The first time I found out there was a company for it was when a trainer brought me to one to train on another software.
"Singapore is also not as advanced compared to other countries, and there are not as many opportunities."
Alysa also explained that her course requires high levels of commitment and long strict days of training.
Nevertheless, she believes her hard work has paid off.
"During the competition, I was intimidated because the competitors from China train for six to seven years," Alysa revealed.
"But the other competitors decided that I would win. They guessed it, and looked like they wanted me to win.
"There was a 3D modelling section in the three-hour paper, and I did that in one and a half hours, so I spent the rest of the time drawing," she recalled.
Surprisingly, winning the contest was not Alysa's proudest moment.
"My greatest achievement was when I made a 3D-model of a miniature weapon from the game Honkai: Star Rail, which had a lot of details.
"I managed to print it out, and I was really happy about it."
Looking towards the future, Alysa wants to further her journey into 3D printing.
"Before I entered the competition, I knew nothing about 3D printing. But now, I have actually found my passion," she declared.
"I hope more people will know about 3D printing. Cosplayers and propmakers will benefit a lot from it, and I hope Singapore can have more advancements and more recognition for it, especially for prosthetics."
When it comes to words of advice to other youths, the aspiring engineer said: "Keep an open mind and try everything, because you don't know what you will like before you try it.
"Also, study hard."
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