"I wanted to learn how to build machines. Now I'm building communities"
Serving students and residents in need helped this newly minted mechanical engineering grad discover his calling
by Vivien Yap
Syafiq Haniss enrolled in NTU’s School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering with one aim: to make a positive impact on society with his knowledge.
Without a specific career in mind, he eventually chose to specialise in intelligent manufacturing, then a new academic track. But studying alongside passionate classmates who seemed so certain of their paths made Syafiq question his own.
“I started to ask myself: What do I really want to do?” he recalls.
That uncertainty pushed him to try different extracurricular activities at NTU. Along the way, he discovered that his greatest fulfilment came from serving others.
The first steps to service
Syafiq’s first taste of community work came in his second year, when he led the NTU Runners’ Club in co-organising a campus run as part of NTU’s fundraising campaign, Best Foot Forward. Being part of an initiative that raised over $180,000 for student bursaries moved him.
“An individual donation of $30 may seem like a small amount,” he says. “But when everyone contributes, it can change a student’s life.”
That spark spurred Syafiq to take on bigger projects.
In 2025, he was the programme head of YusRevamp – a project where 90 student volunteers from the NTU Muslim Society spruced up nine public rental flats for low-income residents in Bukit Merah and Telok Blangah. In just two days, they cleared clutter, repainted walls and rearranged furniture, so residents could enjoy cleaner and more comfortable homes.
The experience changed Syafiq profoundly. “I met people who needed help but were too afraid to accept it,” he reflects.
“I knew then that I wanted to dedicate my time and energy to supporting the less fortunate, especially those who hesitate to seek help for fear of burdening others with their difficulties.”
My time at NTU made me realise that I want to serve all communities, regardless of who they are.
– Syafiq
Engineering with empathy
Syafiq’s passion for helping others soon found its way into his studies.
As part of a class project, he came up with the idea for an intelligent assistive walking cane for the elderly and people with disabilities. His team’s prototype of the GPS-enabled cane could detect obstacles and help users navigate more safely. The concept was ranked among the best by industry judges in an engineering, innovation and design module.
For his final-year project, Syafiq built a data analytics framework that tracked how students engaged with course materials, so the University could better understand and meet their learning needs.
The project proved technically challenging, but his supervisor, Prof Lye Sun Woh, encouraged him to persevere. “He told me that it’s not about being the best in class, but about improving yourself, no matter how long it takes.”
Prof Lye’s patient support strengthened Syafiq’s resolve and helped him see his value. “I realised then that my technical skills in machine learning and data analytics could be applied to helping people too,” he says.
Co-organising NTU’s 2024 campus run for student bursaries set Syafiq on a new course in community work. A year later, he kept the momentum going as both a runner and donor for Best Foot Forward 2025.
From idea to reality: Syafiq (back row, fourth from left) and his teammates developed an assistive walking cane that came in tops in a competition.
Finding his stride
By his third year, Syafiq was clear about his calling. “I wanted to work somewhere where I could meet people from all walks of life and support those who needed help,” he says.
After finding purpose through student-led projects and community work at NTU, he found his next step with the People’s Association, which awarded him a scholarship while he was still a student.
He has just started his first job as a constituency manager, where he works with residents, organises community events such as National Day celebrations, and curates programmes ranging from food distribution drives to youth mentorship sessions.
For Syafiq, it is a natural extension of the communities he grew to care about as a student.
“Everyone deserves support in one form or another,” he says. “My time at NTU made me realise that I want to serve all communities, regardless of who they are.”
Read more stories on the moments in university that changed the Class of 2026 here.
This story was published in the Jul-Aug 2026 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
