Isaac – youCodia Summer Intern
Hi, I’m Isaac, a third-year student at the University of Hong Kong studying Applied Artificial Intelligence. This summer, I joined Youth Global Network (YGN) as a STEM development intern. In just three months, I learned not only more about coding and teaching, but also gained a broader view of the world.
At YGN, I helped create STEM and coding lessons through the YouCodia platform, and taught students with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Before joining, I thought YGN was just about teaching coding and that the results of each lesson were the most important. But the mentors at YGN had a different approach.
For SEN students, the main goal is to help them grow in social and emotional skills and build confidence. For example, I saw one student who was very quiet at first. But over time, he started talking to others, and by the end, he could confidently share his ideas in front of the group. Another student had trouble managing emotions and often clashed with classmates. But now, he’s more self-aware, can control his behavior, and communicates well. One touching moment was during a LEGO activity—he shared his blocks and helped others finish their projects. Seeing these changes in just two months was truly inspiring and showed me the deeper meaning of my work.
At first, I thought my job at YGN would be mostly about coding, and I expected to only improve my technical skills. But I was surprised to be involved in teaching, which gave me much more. While teaching at a special school, I helped diverse students prepare for a Python digital art competition. We faced many challenges—some students struggled with English or had trouble focusing. The biggest challenge came when the competition deadline was suddenly moved earlier. Students had only five days after learning Python to finish their projects.
So, the teaching assistants and I changed our plan. We gave more help to students who needed it, and encouraged stronger students to work more independently. As the saying goes: “If the mountain doesn’t move, the road will. If the road doesn’t move, the person will. If the person doesn’t move, the heart will.” This experience taught me that when things don’t go as planned, I need to adapt and adjust.
In short, my internship at YGN was incredibly rewarding. I improved my coding skills, broadened my perspective, and reshaped how I see education and life. I’m truly thankful to YGN for giving me this valuable opportunity—it helped me grow both personally and professionally, and became a meaningful milestone in my journey.