30th October 2022, Kathmandu
It was on a regular day in mid-June 2022 that I first got the invitation to apply to Huawei’s CSR flagship initiative “Seeds for the Future” 2022 program. I had just completed my finals for my 6th semester and was on my semester break ready for something new.
I applied immediately recognizing what a fantastic opportunity it might be if I got selected. Needless to say, I didn’t expect the call from Huawei’s PR Mr. Supral Raj Joshi congratulating me for being shortlisted for the interview. I was beyond ecstatic and even more so on receiving another call from Mr. Joshi on the eve of the interview saying I had been selected as one of the seven delegates from Nepal for Huawei’s Asia Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022.
My first meeting with the rest of my teammates was at our first Seeds for the Future event organized by Huawei Nepal at the Ncell Data Center located in Nakkhu, Lalitpur.
Buzzing with excitement and a bit nervous, I reached the venue an hour early. After the rest of the group had arrived, we got an interesting and engaging tour of the facility where we were allowed to see firsthand all the equipment and critical systems of the enterprise for computation, data storage, and networks. After the visit, we all went to the Huawei office where I got the first chance to chat with the rest of my team and get to know each other.
I realized that day that I had truly been blessed with the most unique and worthy team members to be with on this amazing journey together.
We also got a chance to visit the UNESCO office for the Next 50 campaign, the China Culture Centre, and the Dish Home office where we were exposed to industry work life and the real problems shaping the world today.
The opening ceremony for the program in Nepal was held on Aug 16th, a couple of days before our departure to Bangkok for the main program. We left Nepal with huge expectations, a thirst for knowledge, and a determination to win.
On reaching Bangkok, Thailand on Aug 18th, our whole team along with our PR was more than ready to join the activities with all the other delegates from the Asia Pacific region. There was a total of 24 teams from 16 different countries.
We participated in a lot of activities, events, and classes throughout our stay in Thailand. The first four days were spent in Bangkok where we had a visit to the United Nations ESCAP office, Assumption University, and the Huawei office in Bangkok. We also visited the local tourist attractions such as The Grand Palace, the Wat Pho temple, and had a cruise dinner over the Chao Phraya River.
We also had a Metaverse Expo and a Global Village program where delegates from all the countries showcased their country’s culture.
Then we spent the remaining days in Hua Hin where we got to learn about AI, Cloud Computing, 5G, digital power, and leadership.
We also participated in the Tech4Good project competition which aimed to solve any environmental or social issue with the use of technology. Nepal was selected as one of the 7 winners among all 24 teams for the accelerator camp in Singapore. We were overjoyed to win and left happily for Singapore on Aug 28th.
In Singapore, we were assigned mentors for the whole duration of the camp where we had workshops and seminars on building business models and value propositions for our innovations and on building our careers. We also had a visit to the Huawei office in Singapore, and universities like SUTD, NTU, SMU, and NUS. Thus, after a two-week-long unforgettable journey, we came back to Nepal where we had a short visit to a Huawei-built 4G base station in Muktinath in late September.
The experiences and the memories that I gained from Seeds for the Future are unparalleled to any I’ve ever experienced before. From day one, this journey has had so many memorable events that I’m beyond thankful for. I express my immeasurable gratitude to Huawei for giving me this excellent opportunity to represent Nepal among all the countries in the Asia Pacific region.
I count myself lucky to have been given such a unique learning experience from industry professionals on recent technological advancements and innovations.
But above all, I’m most grateful for the friendships and the bonds that I created along the way which I never would’ve had the chance to do otherwise. I consider it an honor that I could be a part of all the delegates’ journey as they were of mine. I sincerely wish each delegate of Seeds for the Future 2022 Asia Pacific region all the best and hope that our paths cross again in the future.