Val Tham is a student in the Jerome Fisher Management & Technology (M&T) program, pursuing degrees in Computer Science and Finance. As an international student from Singapore, she especially enjoys engaging in conversations with individuals from diverse backgrounds. During her time at Penn, Val hopes to bring a people-oriented lens to business leadership. Amidst an increasing polarized world, she believes empathy and open-mindedness are values that are increasingly essential, even more so in the business world. Val is hence interested in exploring the arts of negotiation and management, navigating conversations across diverse stakeholders with mutual respect and nuance.
Beyond her academic pursuits, Val is deeply passionate about the exploration of language. Back in Singapore, she delved into Malay and Hokkien, and she’s currently unravelling the intricacies of Japanese at Penn. Val strongly believes language is a means of breaking down boundaries and evoking deep, authentic conversations. Through actively broadening her worldview with language, Val hopes to step into worlds vastly different from hers, fostering connections transcending linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Through the SNF Paideia Fellows program, Val is excited to immerse herself in a kaleidoscope of perspectives and engage in transformative discourse with the Paideia community.