"When I was supervising polytechnic interns in the food manufacturing industry, I kept wondering: Could I do more to shape these young minds before they enter the workforce?" Lina recalls. That question led her to NYP, where she's spent 14 years bridging the gap between classroom theory and industry practice.

Lina's teaching philosophy centres on making complex concepts tangible. In some cases, this meant going back to basics and embracing traditional show-and-tell demonstrations.

This has proven particularly effective in technical subjects like Food Packaging. She shares: “I was initially concerned that it would seem old fashioned, but I was happily proven wrong. The moment they could touch the packaging and understand why it was designed a certain way, it connected the dots for them from theory to relevance. They were so engaged and invested that I had students contributing unique packaging samples from around the world for the class.”

A Heart for Student Growth

Lina believes that understanding young adults is key to supporting them effectively. "Polytechnic students are at an age where they're particularly conscious of peer perception. Being openly assigned a 'buddy' can feel like a stigma, or worse, being seen to be struggling or different," she explains. This teenage psychology insight shapes how she approaches student support, where she developed a two-tier support system that works behind the scenes.

At the baseline, she conducts personal check-ins for students to share their concerns in a safe space. From there, she carefully matches students with peers who've shown natural empathy and understanding, allowing support to flow organically. "The beauty of this system is that it honours their independence while ensuring they don't fall through the cracks," she shares.

Her way of mentoring extends to how she guides students in their projects. Ever mindful that each student is unique in their likes and dislikes, she always takes time to understand their interests before assigning projects and roles.

Embracing Future Challenges

As food science evolves with Singapore's focus on food security and sustainability, Lina continues to innovate.

"With Singapore's 30-by-30 goal and increasing emphasis on sustainability, our learners need to understand not just how to process food, but also how to reimagine the use of by-products and evaluate alternative proteins," she explains. Her vision for food science education emphasises purposeful innovation and industry collaboration over content-heavy learning.

This includes adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the learning process. Lina shares that AI could be a quick and helpful tool in recipe ideation, which could be further refined through hands-on practice.

She shared: “Learners need to be equipped with a good balance between digital tools and practical experience, as they embark on their own food science journey.”

Through her purpose-driven teaching and innovative spirit, Lina proves that when educators believe in their students, they don’t just teach — they transform futures.