Melody Mok Yee Yi
Diploma in Media, Arts & Design (DMAD) specialising in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)
- Tay Eng Soon Gold Medal
- TBWA\ Specialisation Prize
Breaking barriers in the pursuit of her dreams in marketing
Mok Yee Yi, affectionately known as Melody by her friends and lecturers, did not have success handed to her on a plate. Her journey was an unusual one fraught with challenges that tested her will and mental resilience at every turn.
Since secondary school, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) alumna enjoyed arts and crafts and felt she could pursue it as a field of study and a career option. This led her to pursue a Nitec in Visual Communication, and she spent two fruitful years in the design world, which sparked a cycle of constant growth and improvement. It was this mindset that made this Bukit Merah Secondary School alumna set her sights on Singapore Polytechnic’s (SP) Diploma in Media, Arts & Design (DMAD), which she enrolled for via the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE).
The Tay Eng Soon Gold Medallist enjoyed how the course offered common modules in the first year so that she could explore her options while pursuing her interest in design. The knowledge she gained also helped her grow as a multi-disciplinary designer, culminating in her Final Year Project, where she worked on raising awareness of SG Enable’s Enabling Mark. The Enabling Mark is a certification for inclusive workplaces to recognise employers’ efforts in making their workplace more inclusive for persons with disabilities. Her efforts did not go unnoticed, and she was named one of the finalists at the 2024 Crowbar Awards.
Being from a low-income family, Melody’s growing-up years were difficult, as she often had to work during the holidays to supplement her family’s income. This challenging period taught her to be more independent and to look after herself and her family. It is this maturity that has made her the person she is today.
Outside of school, she also freelances as a designer, lending her skills and expertise to bring ideas to life. One of the notable projects she worked on was for a mental health journal commissioned by a commercial company. Although she was engaged as a freelancer, the company saw her strengths and involved her throughout the content curation process, allowing her to provide ideas for the journal. Initially intended for the company’s employees, the company has recently decided to publish it for sale to the public by the end of April 2024. This was a stamp of approval for her design skills and her ability to contribute as an effective team member during the project phase.
Looking back at her time in SP, Melody is happy and appreciative to have received tremendous support from her lecturers and friends. “Back in ITE, I was very quiet and shy and did not really like to talk. However, in SP, I really grew as a person and learnt how to present myself and work on my self-expression in various settings. I am fortunate to have been given many opportunities to learn and pick up soft skills which will serve me well in future.”
Not one to rest on her laurels, Melody has already received an offer from the National University of Singapore (NUS) to study Business Administration and eagerly awaits an offer from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). This is a testament to the hard work that she has put in throughout the years and her inquisitive pursuit of knowledge.