Mr Worldwide

Introduce yourself!
My name is Joel. I’m in my second year in SMU, studying business and doing a second major in global Asia.

My first major is about strategic management, and for my second major, I’ve been exploring community building and Asian studies in general. I’ve been very fortunate to be sent overseas for international delegations, which is what got me into international/diplomatic relations. This has allowed me to meet people from all over the world, and figure out how to navigate relations and to bring something out of that.

Do you remember when your interest in global relations first started?
My whole journey first started when I went on exchange in Korea in my final year of polytechnic. I was the only person who could speak both Mandarin and English, so all of a sudden, I became the translator, a community builder of sorts. It only hit me when I came back from Korea that this might be what I’m good at and is something that I’d be keen to look into.

But I would say that I’m a very people person to begin with. I like to connect with people, and to be able to get people from very diverse backgrounds to do something together is something I really enjoy seeing. As a bonus, I get to travel which is what I love doing.

Do you travel outside of school or work as well?
Well, I recently came back from an international delegation in Bangkok, but soon, I’ll be going to Koh Tao in Thailand to dive. Following that, I have a bunch of trips planned out in December—four places to be exact—just to maximise my time.

But don’t get me wrong, I’m a budget traveller so I’m not splurging. I backpack quite a fair bit and when I’m not overseas, I’m either studying or doing things that will benefit my travels. For example, I started bouldering recently just so I can be better at hiking.

What’s your favourite country you’ve been to so far?
For now it’s Perth. I’ve been wanting to return for quite a while now. It’s such a quaint place—the sunsets are beautiful and the weather is great. I can spend four hours sitting at Hyde Park just reading a book or simply laying down, looking at the trees, and watching the leaves fall.

How do you usually introduce Singapore to people you meet overseas? 
I think Singapore is a very unique place to experience in itself, and to me, it’s all about the hustle and bustle. I think a lot of people don’t like the rigidity of studying or working here, but I do like the 9 to 5. To me, that is my quintessential Singapore experience, which is unique and nice.

But to others, I always start the conversation with the size of our country. I mean, there’s so many things about Singapore that people are always so fascinated by, such as being able to leave your phone on the table and walking away without losing it, and getting fined for jaywalking. That’s how I always introduce Singapore, as what it is.