👋 hi, I'm Rachael!

Winner of the Most Innovative Hack Award, at Rewriting The Code's Black Wings Hackathon (1 of 78 teams)

EchoAid

Our friends with visual disabilities struggle to differentiate similar objects. Two medication bottles that look identical except for their labels. One wrong choice could be dangerous.We built EchoAid: an app using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to help users identify objects through voice-activated tags.What made it work: We didn't start with the technology. We started with a deep understandin of user needs and current gaps in existing products. Then we built exactly that.Here are our Figma mockups, github repo and Demo Video!

Software Engineer Intern at genomIT, CAETI Research Group
📍 Buenos Aires, Argentina 🇦🇷

Cancer Biomarker Research

In Argentina, I joined a team on a project aiming to predict who survives breast cancer and who doesn't.I implemented clustering algorithms—K-Means, Spectral Clustering, OneSVM—to classify patients based on their molecular expression profiles. Then I ran survival analyses through Kaplan-Meier estimations and Cox proportional hazards modeling.The stakes: These aren't just data points. They're people waiting to hear if they'll see their children grow up. Every model I built was an attempt to give clinicians better information, faster.What I contributed: A foundation for integrating additional covariates in the team's future cancer prognosis research.

Software Engineer Intern at the Herbert and Florence Irving Institute of Cancer Dynamics, Columbia University
📍 New York City, USA 🇺🇸

Evolutionary Genomics Research

At Columbia University's Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics, I worked on a question that's been debated for decades: when two species share genetic material, is it because they interbred—or because they inherited it from a common ancestor?I built machine learning models in Python to distinguish between these two phenomena: introgression versus incomplete lineage sorting. I enhanced the QuIBL method (Quantifying Introgression via Branch Lengths), fine-tuning mutation and backcrossing parameters to improve detection accuracy in genomic sequences.What made it hard: Evolution doesn't leave clean fingerprints. The signals are noisy, the datasets are massive, and the stakes are high—getting this wrong means misunderstanding how species actually evolved.You can find some of my research process here! I wrote 1 article a day to document my discoveries and to keep myself accountable for my progress. My code is linked here!

AI-Powered Video Analysis Pipeline

I recorded vlogs across 5 countries over 3 years. Then I asked: can a machine understand how I felt?I built an end-to-end pipeline using TensorFlow, PyTorch, librosa, and scikit-learn. I extracted audio features—Mel spectrograms and MFCC features—and transformed them into CNN-processable images.The pipeline combined supervised learning (CNNs and XGBoost for emotion classification) with unsupervised techniques (KMeans, Agglomerative, and Spectral Clustering). I evaluated performance using Silhouette Score and Davies-Bouldin Index.What I learned: Agglomerative Clustering worked best for this dataset. But more importantly: the process of systematizing something as messy as emotion taught me that even the most human problems can benefit from structure—if you approach them with humility.

Heart Attack Analysis and Prediction

I recorded vlogs across 5 countries over 3 years. Then I asked: can a machine understand how I felt?I built an end-to-end pipeline using TensorFlow, PyTorch, librosa, and scikit-learn. I extracted audio features—Mel spectrograms and MFCC features—and transformed them into CNN-processable images.The pipeline combined supervised learning (CNNs and XGBoost for emotion classification) with unsupervised techniques (KMeans, Agglomerative, and Spectral Clustering). I evaluated performance using Silhouette Score and Davies-Bouldin Index.What I learned: Agglomerative Clustering worked best for this dataset. But more importantly: the process of systematizing something as messy as emotion taught me that even the most human problems can benefit from structure—if you approach them with humility.

Co-Curricular Activities Council President
_{led 120 Presidents and Captains of all clubs in Hwa Chong Institution}

Touch Rugby Varsity Team Vice-Captain
_{led a team of 30 players, won National Championships! Learned that culture eats strategy—and that the best teams are built on people who believe in each other.}

Co-founded Mental Health Collective!
_{Organised a nationwide mental health conference for 3,000 Singaporeans.}

Students' Council President
_{led a school cohort of 1,600 peers, and 80 student leaders to organize 11 school-wide events}

Played competitive touch rugby!

200-hr certified yoga teacher!
_{grew a deeper mind-body connection}

learned to play the guitar!

Track and Field, Long Jump!

Mr Chua Cheng Chye

Retired educator with stints in Nanyang Girls’ High School, Singapore School of the Arts, Raffles Junior College, Singapore International Foundation, Temasek Junior College

“As President of the Student Council of Nanyang Girls’ High from 2016 to 2017, she was good at reading the ground, asking powerful questions and rallying her team. She ran on the vision of a more caring, inclusive community in the school and managed to embody this vision in the Council’s approach to projects.She is intelligent, curious, introspective and hardworking. More importantly, she has a tendency to see a better future for others and this is coupled with the drive and ability to inspire people towards positive change. She will augment the colour, passion and purpose of any group that she is in. I have no hesitation in recommending Rachael.”

Mr Matthew Sheun

Touch Rugby Teacher-in-charge, Hwa Chong Institution

“I have observed that her positive attitude has an infectious effect on her teammates and friends. With that, she contributed to a very strong culture within the team that is encouraging of one another’s efforts. Yet, the most important quality that I find of Rachael’s character is that she is humble and respectful towards the people around her—teachers and peers alike—which make her a very well-liked person. These are qualities that show Rachael’s emotional maturity as a promising young lady, and which won the respect of her teammates, who I have observed were inspired to work harder for her.”

Mrs Anna Stephen

North Vista Secondary School Teaching Internship Mentor

“Before she completed her internship, Rachael made it a point to write a note of encouragement to each and every student in the classes she taught and the students really look up to her and regard her as a role model, even today.Rachael is a highly capable, responsible and dynamic young lady who is respectful towards those around her. She is committed to lifelong learning and her positive attitude towards learning and teaching was clearly demonstrated on many occasions when she took the initiative to clarify her doubts with the teachers she worked with. Rachael took the initiative to do research, read up and familiarise herself with the pedagogical skills used in Secondary school.”

Mr James Ong

Nanyang Girls’ High School

“She was elected by the school community to be the President of the Student Council in Year 4. In this role, she had the opportunity to lead about 75 student councillors and 12 executive members in organising and leading the school population of 1600 students in events and school matters. 2017 was also the year that the school celebrated its 100th anniversary. In this momentous year, Rachael helmed and led year-long celebratory events and the 100th Anniversary Gala Dinner which was attended by 3000 guests, with the Prime Minister as the Guest of Honour.

Through all the heavy schedules of duties and events in her years in the Student Council, Rachael did not undertake these tasks simply as a dutiful member and manager. One of the unique qualities she has consistently demonstrated throughout the years was a sense of purpose in what she was engaging in. She had learnt to step back and question the rationale of each project or task, and would not hesitate to spend time with her executive members and teachers to discuss these purposes.This eventually served to direct the council and the school population to achieve the desired outcomes. This was a rare quality embodied by a student leader of her age back then.”

📍 Singapore 🇸🇬 | Straits Times Feature

Mental Health Conference

I co-founded Singapore’s first nationwide youth mental health organization with 4 friends, building both the community architecture and the operational systems behind our programs. I led the end-to-end execution of our 3,000-attendee national conference, coordinating a 40-member volunteer team, managing multi-threaded logistics, and aligning content, operations, outreach, and partners under tight timelines.To ground our work in real user needs, we conducted a 50-stakeholder needs analysis and collaborated with government agencies to survey 3,000 Singaporeans. These insights informed our roadmap, content themes, and community engagement strategy to ensure our programs were both relevant and resonant.We secured partnerships with two government ministries and 15 organizations, enabling cross-sector collaboration and amplifying our reach. We also launched Mental Health Awareness Week for 2,000 participants and built an OCD Support Network with Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health, overseeing facilitator onboarding, curriculum design, and support structures for 35 caregivers and patients.A core part of my role involved story curation and community narrative-building — translating the lived experiences of youths, caregivers, and clinicians into panels, workshops, and resources that shaped public conversation. Our work was featured in The Straits Times for national impact.This experience taught me how to blend storytelling with execution, community insight with program design.

Featuring participants from 13 countries!

Organizer, 13th Asia-Pacific Young Leaders’ Summit (APYLS)

Selected as 1 of 20 organizers from 300 applicants to run a 6D5N summit for 80 young leaders across 13 countries and 26 schools. I initiated and owned the pipeline for a brand-new Human Library segment — from concept design, stakeholder mapping, outreach strategy, and speaker vetting to final execution. I drove the process end-to-end: drafting personalized invites, securing time on speakers’ calendars, managing back-and-forth logistics, and aligning multiple teams to deliver the segment seamlessly.As part of the Dialogue Team, I designed and moderated cross-cultural discussions on global issues, shaped reflective prompts, and created structures that empowered students to share their lived experiences openly. I also coordinated 13 cultural showcases, helping students turn their stories into performances, exhibitions, and artifacts that represented their identities. I led program activities, including a private tea session with President Halimah Yacob.Building a community across 13 cultures taught me how to design experiences that create trust, belonging, and cross-border friendships. I learned how to translate personal narratives and cultural nuances into shared experiences that brought students closer together. This cemented my love for bringing diverse groups together through intentional programs.

words as they fall

the world spins madly on, I write to pause time for a moment, capturing a glimpse of now.yoga journey — learning to be at ease with myself
my ahgong — the last goodbye

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my journey

“Real spiritual growth happens when there is only one of you inside. There’s not a part that’s scared and another part that’s protecting the part that’s scared. All parts are unified. Because there is no part of you that you’re not willing to see, the mind is no longer divided into the conscious and subconscious. Everything you see inside is just something you see inside. It’s not you; it’s what you see.”
― Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul2 years ago during my gap year, I entered a dimly lit yoga studio on Orchard Road. I was 3 minutes early. As I settled onto my mat, I felt my body collapse a little. I was drained from pressure and expectations from outside and within. As our teacher began cueing us through our practice, I felt myself melting into the focus I needed to keep up. At the end of practice, we moved into child’s pose - a resting posture where you bow your forehead onto the mat. In this pose, tears just started flowing. This pose of letting go of control reminded me that I can never run from myself. That confronting the mess within is just what I needed.I learned that certain postures release stored up emotions within you. The mind-body connection used to seem too out of reach. But today, I am learning to deepen that connection.My yoga teacher has always emphasised the importance of yoga off the mat. To me, that means being at ease with myself.In my teacher training, my 14 friends inspired me to be fully myself, to sit with my downs and be patient with the mess within.I am not the best at yoga, nor do I know everything about it. But practising yoga has made me more alive - and I hope to share this with you.I learned that yoga practice is not about breaking a sweat nor perfecting a posture. I believe that it’s about finding a quiet confidence, a gentle surrender to the ups and downs in life.Looking forward to journeying with you on the mat <3

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my journey

“Real spiritual growth happens when there is only one of you inside. There’s not a part that’s scared and another part that’s protecting the part that’s scared. All parts are unified. Because there is no part of you that you’re not willing to see, the mind is no longer divided into the conscious and subconscious. Everything you see inside is just something you see inside. It’s not you; it’s what you see.”
― Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul2 years ago during my gap year, I entered a dimly lit yoga studio on Orchard Road. I was 3 minutes early. As I settled onto my mat, I felt my body collapse a little. I was drained from pressure and expectations from outside and within. As our teacher began cueing us through our practice, I felt myself melting into the focus I needed to keep up. At the end of practice, we moved into child’s pose - a resting posture where you bow your forehead onto the mat. In this pose, tears just started flowing. This pose of letting go of control reminded me that I can never run from myself. That confronting the mess within is just what I needed.I learned that certain postures release stored up emotions within you. The mind-body connection used to seem too out of reach. But today, I am learning to deepen that connection.My yoga teacher has always emphasised the importance of yoga off the mat. To me, that means being at ease with myself.In my teacher training, my 14 friends inspired me to be fully myself, to sit with my downs and be patient with the mess within.I am not the best at yoga, nor do I know everything about it. But practising yoga has made me more alive - and I hope to share this with you.I learned that yoga practice is not about breaking a sweat nor perfecting a posture. I believe that it’s about finding a quiet confidence, a gentle surrender to the ups and downs in life.Looking forward to journeying with you on the mat <3

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the last goodbye

The tip of the incense stick bows forward, slowly letting go of itself. It falls to the ground, collapsing in heat, then melting into powder.Ah gong speaks less than 10 words a day. He is silent and calm, always watching with his bright eyes. He sees everything, but says nothing. If you’re lucky, you can catch his grin, when we laugh at a joke he makes. Other times, he rather not react at all.Once, ahgong scolded me when I was complaining to him about someone I didn’t like. He was listening in silence, as usual, then out of the blue he told me in Mandarin, “focus on being a good person, don’t talk bad about other people. That’s their problem.”At first, I felt oh man ahgong doesn't share my point of view about the person. Later on, did I realise how unimportant the person was, and instead the focus was on who I was as a person.This lady came up to me and told me that without ahgong, she would never have finished secondary school. He bought a house for their family, provided them with allowance and paid for their bills. With tears, she told me that “I am indebted to your ahgong.”I sat with his close friends and ah mah at the table. They shared that they knew ahgong for almost 40 years. They too would travel from Malacca to come find ahgong, every Chinese new year. They travelled down to bid their last good byes. I wonder what ahgong did to help them - everyone respected him deeply.

Each Chinese new year, I would watch ahgong come down the stairs, dressed in his Chinese new year new shirt. He would slick back his hair with a comb, ready for serious business. He would take his favourite spot at the living room table before opening his notebook.“Ringggg” he would wait for 2 rings, then pick up the home phone. He would grin, then announce his friend's name loudly. Most times, he doesn’t talk that much, but listens with a huge smile on his face with occasional “mhms”. When he puts down the phone (this is my favourite part) - he would record down the name, phone, and time that his friend called - as if he kept track of who remembered him after so many years. I think that was ah gong’s love language - remembering him, showing gratitude.He never asked for anything in return. He gave his life to his family and friends - and that was all that mattered. My ahgong held this silent self assurance. He never boasted about how much he sacrificed.I always thought my ah mah was the most selfless person in the world - maybe because I witnessed how much she gave to keep the family together. Today, I realise that ahgong and ahmah are the same. Ahgong gave his life to not only our family, but all his 6 brothers, 2 sisters, and their children.So many people are indebted to ahgong.And I got the chance to be his granddaughter. If I’m not lucky, idk what I am.Real recognises real. Ahmah is gold in her own way. Whenever ahgong got mad and bad tempered, ah mah would always tell me that ah gong is a really really good person - and his bad temper was just a small part of his personality. I never understood the extent to which he was a good person.When mummy passed, it was 8 something pm. By the time everything was over in the hospital, it was 11pm. I remember going home, then going to ahgong ahmah’s house to stay. When we reached their house, they acted as if everything was normal, and just brought us to wash up and sleep. While everything was falling apart, they were the only ones who made things feel normal.When I woke, I remember ah gong didn’t say anything. He was in his usual spot, he cooked the same oatmeal that we always ate every weekend. I thought everything would feel different - only ahgong and ahmah felt the same. He did not breathe a word about mummy, but asked me how my sleep was. Maybe that was his way of loving us - he gave us the space to speak, but if we didn’t say anything, he wouldn’t probe either.When mummy was doing chemo, ahmah would pick me from kindergarten at 3pm. She would pass me a plastic bag of cut apples, then I would eat them happily at the backseat while I rambled on about my eventful few hours at school. When I arrived at their house, I would make it just in time for Yi Nan Wang, a Taiwanese drama that I would watch with ahgong every weekday. He was my best friend, whom I looked forward to going home to. Sometimes going to ahgong ahmah’s house felt like an escape from real life, when I saw mummy suffering after chemotherapy.After the show was over, he would take his afternoon nap on this rose wood long couch. I don’t know how, but I would squeeze in to join him every single afternoon. I remember facing the wooden carvings, tracing the patterns with my finger. I would be scared to move, afraid that I would break his snores.This routine was simple, but it meant the world to me. Ahgong and ahmah were my best friends - I felt safe and happy with them.I loved how ahmah loved to talk - and ahgong had less words - but he loved to listen to her speak. Typing all this makes me feel like there is so much I wished I thanked him for.I remember once ahgong told me that he almost died in the forest. He used to work in a plantation. Once, his friends warned him that someone was after him- they wanted to kill him and his friends. They fled, and lived in a car in the forest in Indonesia for 2 nights. When they returned to their home, everything was burned down. I was like :o - I bet there were so many more exciting stories I don’t know about.

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