What shaped me, and where am I going?

From finding my own way in Guangzhou to building my direction in finance in Singapore.

WHO AM I?

I’m Wenying, an ethnic Korean from Jilin Province, China. I spent more than ten years growing up in Guangzhou in a single-parent household, where my mum was running her own business.

She was busy almost every day, and without really noticing it at the time, I became independent quite early. Homework, hobbies, decisions and figuring out what I wanted were often things I learned to handle on my own.

Studying became one of the things that felt completely within my control, so I took it seriously. I was often the “good student” my teachers mentioned during parent meetings — something that also meant my mum could worry a little less about me while she focused on her work.

Looking back, I think that environment shaped more than my study habits. It taught me to figure things out before waiting for someone else to give me an answer. That is probably why studying abroad eventually felt more exciting than frightening.

I came to Singapore because I wanted to experience a world beyond what I already knew — different people, cultures, ways of thinking and, yes, definitely different food. I wanted to step into the real world for myself, meet people with different experiences, make my own decisions and learn from what was happening around me.

That same curiosity eventually led me to finance.

What interested me was not only investing but also the way finance changes how you think about decisions. Why is something valuable? What risk are we taking? What are the trade-offs? What information actually matters, and what might happen next?

The more I learned, the more I started looking at businesses, markets and everyday decisions differently.

Learning by doing

Earlier this year, I coordinated a team developing TraceShield for Huawei Tech4City, an AI-supported safety tool designed to help users navigate the next steps after experiencing online sexual harm.

I entered the project without an IT background, which meant I had to learn quickly, communicate across different parts of the project and understand enough about the technology to connect it with both the user problem and the business side.

That experience reinforced something I increasingly believe: even if I don't know some part of knowledge, I do need to be willing to learn, ask better questions and take responsibility for figuring things out.

That is also how I am approaching the changes happening in finance today. I see AI as a tool rather than a shortcut. Alongside my degree, I am preparing for CFA Level I, developing my coding skills, following equity markets and reading across finance, business and current affairs, including perspectives that challenge my own assumptions.

WHERE AM I HEADING?

I am now looking for financial analysis, strategy and fintech opportunities in Singapore, particularly roles where financial thinking, technology and commercial decision-making come together.

What I hope to bring is a practical way of working: understand the real business problem first, learn what I need, work across teams and turn information into decisions that help the business move forward.

I am still early in that journey, and that is exactly why I want to enter the working world, to learn from people with more experience, take on real responsibility and keep improving through the work itself.