Road to IE University Honours Programme –
The Experience Behind
Henry felt very pleased to be joining the Honour programme, a great 24-hour tense competition with time.
One of our first batch students studying Integrated BBA Dual Degree Programme, Henry Lam Tat Hin (Year 3, Integrated BBA Dual Degree Programme) has finally arrived in Spain and participated in the IE honour programme during the weekend of 6/2 and 7/2. A 24-hour hackathon means a lot of effort from the team in terms of brainstorming and the implementation of ideas in a limited time constraint with presentation strategies. In this Honour Programme Challenge, IE University collaborates with the officials in Hospital La Paz in renovating the medical service with an aim of improving patients’ experience. 11 teams are there to come up with great ideas in different aspects related to management issues, patient support and family caretakers for possible improvements.
Enjoy the vibe while working, it can inspire your mind in generating great idea!
During the hackathon, Henry worked with other 7 team members from different aspects of professionals, ranging from International Relationships, Data Science, Behavioural Science and Law in coming up with a solution related to data algorithm in improving the management efficiency of hospitals. They proposed an effective way of a budget close to 50000 Euros for setting up an unsupervised machine learning database for matching patients’ profile with different supports from NGOs that provide follow up service for patients and their close families. Henry took the part of presenting the idea in front of the judges to persuade them to take their system into consideration and put it into practice. They were honourably mentioned by the judge for their excellent presentations and great renovation about the utilization of big data systems. This really shows a great example of taking ahead of any challenges and presenting in front of 100+ audience.
What really sparks Henry’s mind when talking about the unforgettable moments in the competition is the long persistent working efforts from the team. They worked consciously with different coaching sessions throughout the day. “We work almost 15 hours nonstop from 10 am in the morning till 1 am on the following day for the finalization of ideas and presentation methods!” Henry emphasized that during the interview when mentioning how tough the challenge is. “But it was worth it when we can see the smile from the patients from an improved experience and support from hospitals that could even save their life”. This really reiterates the importance of being the knowledge and privileged group that it is not about personal benefits all the time but creating a better society worldwide with the utilization of our wisdom and resources.
This dual degree really changes Henry’s mind and life in terms of a widened horizon and the sharpening of soft skills related to persuasion and presentation, together with a broader mindset for creating social good and better future of the world when you can do so. Not only does that relate to the La Paz Challenge of the honour programme but putting the similar idea into practice for social entrepreneurship. “It is not about what you get, it is about how you get and give back to the society that you loved.” Never should we forget the true meaning of education and create a better future for society.
Group minds make one stronger. Collaboration matters
Photo courtesy of Henry Lam
