The Ripple Effect of Knowledge

In my culture, teaching is known as sedekah jariyah — a perpetual benefit. The knowledge you share creates a ripple effect: the person you teach passes it on, and its impact keeps growing. Teaching becomes an act of goodness that never ends. It's a value I carry into everything I do.

My first formal experience came in 2022 as a Project Coordinator for Surge Projects, where I helped organize 30 student developers and designers into teams building apps together. My role extended beyond coordination — I bridged the gap between two disciplines often at odds. The first lesson I taught was helping developers understand the value of design, and helping designers learn how to advocate for it. Most students had never worked across disciplines before, and getting them to think collaboratively took patience and intention.

Then a developer pulled me aside and said: 'I always thought design was just picking fonts and colours. I never realized how much it shaped how people experience the app.' That moment stayed with me. It showed me that teaching, at its core, is experience design — you're shaping how someone understands the world, one conversation at a time.

By teaching others, I've taught myself patience, confidence, and the power of clear communication. And I'm reminded, every time, of what my family passed down: that knowledge shared is never lost. It ripples outward, quietly, in ways you'll never fully see.