We spoke to the Impact Lab students interns at FSI during the Spring 2021 semester to find out their learnings and experiences at the Impact Lab, as well as their take on social impact.
In this series, meet Tse Tin Yu, Community Business Support Intern at Foundation for Shared Impact.
Tell us about yourself? Which year are you in and what subject are you majoring in? What is one fun fact that people don’t know about you? What is the best thing about being you right now?
Hi, I am a year 1 HKU student majoring in International Business and Global Management (IBGM). One of the things on my bucket list is to be a backpacker for once in my life. I believe what’s best right now is that I am happy with my life.
Tell us about your experience at Impact Lab? What are your roles and responsibilities?
I was working on a database project for EmpowerU. We used different applications to build a user-friendly database system for them. For example, using Airtable and Zapier to automate data-handling processes, and helped EmpowerU in switching to use Thinkific for their online courses platform. We also created guides for using these applications so that EmpowerU interns can have an easier transition towards using the new system.
What is unique about the company that you work at?
I think what makes FSI unique is that its people encourage each other to speak out and promote inclusivity.
What are the major learnings that you gained from participating in Impact Lab? How has the experience helped your understanding of social impact?
From participating in Impact Lab, I have learned a lot of soft skills such as communication skills and proactiveness. It allows me to understand how useful and important technology is in helping us achieve social impact.
How has this experience benefited your personal growth? How will this experience benefit your future, in terms of your career and/or other endeavors?
From this experience, I got the opportunity to understand how it is like to work in a start-up company. I also learned more about different tools and applications that will be useful for my career.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you?
COVID-19 has really affected us where there are much fewer face-to-face interactions. This sometimes makes it harder for us to connect with others, especially when we often don’t turn on our cameras on Zoom, as a result, we can’t communicate and connect with people effectively without being able to see their gestures and facial expressions.
The pandemic has caused many unprecedented challenges for social impact organizations. From working at the company, how do you think the pandemic has affected the organization, its leaders, and its beneficiaries? 
I think because of the pandemic, people have to meet virtually to discuss matters, and sometimes this may cause miscommunication. But the upside is that it allows us to develop more on advanced technology and let people care more about others.
If there is one thing you can do for the world right now, what would it be?
I will teach a man to fish. This was inspired by Jon, my supervisor when I was working as a student intern at FSI. Throughout the semester, one of our tasks was to create guides and teach EmpowerU staff about how our systems work, which I quite liked because I felt satisfied and motivated to deliver my knowledge to others and help them prepare for the future. Therefore, I think I would love to teach a man to fish as you can help him learn to feed himself for a lifetime.
Would you recommend the Impact Lab to other students? Why?
Yes definitely! You would not be able to get the same experience by going to lectures/ tutorials.
