Dillon Tey Wei Jun

Diploma in Engineering with Business (DEB)

Lee Kuan Yew Award
Alfred Robert Edis Prize
Cisco Systems Gold Medal
OCBC Prize
Sembcorp Marine Prize

Transforming poor grades into innovative tech solutions

Since secondary school, Dillon Tey Wei Jun has been fascinated by how many of the world’s phenomena can be explained through mathematical concepts. His interest fuelled him to explore further, and he eventually started his own coding projects. In Secondary 2, he created a system to automatically retrieve player data from a game website and display it on Discord, an online platform for communities. This was the first project that sparked his interest in engineering.

He had a rebellious streak in primary school and faced disciplinary issues and poor academic results. This persisted through secondary school, where his interest in his studies deteriorated significantly, and he started skipping classes. The turning point came when his form teacher, Mr Liow, took time out of his schedule to speak to him whilst he was serving a three-day in-house suspension for a fight. The heartfelt conversation struck a chord with Dillon, who decided to take meaningful steps to improve his behaviour.

After graduating from St Patrick’s School, Dillon joined Singapore Polytechnic’s (SP) Diploma in Engineering with Business (DEB) via the Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP) and the Common Engineering Programme. The Lee Kuan Yew Award recipient enrolled in DEB because its multidisciplinary nature allowed him to develop different skill sets within a singular course.

The curriculum equipped his team with the analytical and technical skills of an engineer with marketing and pitching business tactics that enabled them to emerge as Finalists in the MRANTI World Engineering Day Challenge, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in March 2023. Despite being the only team from a polytechnic, he and his teammates were unfazed by competitors from various universities. They confidently presented their prototype for a smart recycling machine using AI and 3D printing to reduce plastic waste.

A compassionate individual, Dillon believes in creating a more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable society, which drives him to give back to the community, locally and overseas. As the President of the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering (EEE) student ambassadors, he not only led and coordinated major events for the school but also served as a linking bridge for academically at-risk students through the peer-tutoring programme. His leadership led the school club to greater heights, and he was awarded the SP Excellence Award in the group category.

His tenacity to serve others goes beyond the local community. He participated in an overseas service-learning experience, the Youth Expedition Project (YEP) Chiang Mai. He educated Thai students on leadership principles, raised their awareness of online scams, and experienced the drastic differences in their education environment and living conditions.

He gained a greater appreciation for the privileges he held in Singapore and was inspired by their impact on the communities. Dillon pivoted to nurture future community leaders and stepped up to lead YEP Philippines and Laos, instilling a sense of proactiveness. YEP Laos was specially done for PFP students, so it felt like his SP journey had come full circle.

He self-initiated voluntary work with “Project Purple Ripple” – Kayaking for the disabled, elderly, and children with special needs. Through befriending, the beneficiaries experience the sport in a safe environment. His contributions were recognised, and he was awarded the Service-Learning Award as one of 20 recipients.

Dillon’s all-around non-academic capabilities in leadership, competitions, and community service contributed to the vibrancy of SP and upheld the school's core values. This culminated in him sharing his four-year journey at the SP Excellence Award Ceremony as a recipient in the individual (school) category.

As a Defence Science Organisation (DSO) Diploma Scholar, Dillon embarked on a 22-week internship with DSO’s Information Division in September 2023. Here, he contributed to projects that enhanced capabilities and technologies that enabled MINDEF/SAF to use information effectively in physical battlefields and cyberspace.

Dillon’s future aspirations centre around work in the research and development (R&D) sector in the field of defence and security as he enjoys the innovative nature of the field and seeks to express his creativity in discovering novel solutions to problems.