A Purposeful Pause: How a Gap Year Shaped a Future Engineer
Alumni article Exceptional People Our Spotlight SHR ArticleWhen most students apply for university, their path follows a straight line from graduation to the lecture hall. But not for this alumnus, he chose a different route. One that took him all the way to Thailand for a year of exploration, art, and personal growth. It was this non-traditional path that ultimately prepared him for his next exciting chapter: studying Design Engineering at Imperial College London.
This story isn’t just about taking time off; it’s about a purposeful gap year filled with diverse and meaningful experiences. He began with two weeks of intensive training with the Alpine Corps in the Italian Alps, followed by four months working at an engineering firm in Italy. During this period, his passion for art flourished as he created a string-art piece titled Christ Rising, which is now displayed at a Catholic institution in Italy.
In February, he travelled to Africa for two months with a friend, Jamie Mullis. They spent the first month in Kenya researching best practices for the Chandaria Tree Nurseries Project and co-authoring a report that was later published on a United Nations website. They then travelled to Tanzania to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. After Jamie returned to Thailand, he continued on to stay with a Kenyan friend in his hometown near Lake Victoria, where he experienced a week of simple living without running water or electricity and fished on the lake for food.
Upon returning to Thailand, he spent a month completing an intensive cooking course while working on an intricate peacock string-art piece titled A Glimpse Through the Eyes of Life, which went on to be exhibited at the Supalai Life Scape Exhibition. He also created another piece, inspired by fish, which he hopes to submit to a competition in Taiwan next year.
His artist’s statement offers a beautiful reflection of his journey. He describes the peacock as a symbol of tranquility and beauty, while the “mess of threads” represents the chaotic and unpredictable moments of life. Yet the message is clear: there is always beauty to be found, even within chaos.
This perspective makes him a perfect fit for the field of Design Engineering. The discipline is all about discovering elegant solutions to complex problems, transforming a “mess of threads” into something purposeful, functional, and inspiring. His gap year was not a break from learning; it was a real-world lesson in creativity, discipline, and making sense of complexity.
As he prepares to begin his first year at Imperial, we celebrate his thoughtful and holistic approach to life and learning. His journey is a powerful reminder that the most meaningful paths are often the ones we create for ourselves. We cannot wait to see the incredible things he will design in the future.
Report Published on the United Nations Website
Following his research in Kenya, our alumnus co-authored a report on the ‘Chandaria tree nurseries project’ with his friend, Jamie Mullis, our own alumni class of 2024. The report was published on a United Nations website, showcasing his early contributions to global initiatives.
Link to the Report:
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