The top student in technology giant Huawei’s educational exchange programme has hailed it as having a considerable impact on her overall studies.

In fact, Jheanel Brown was estatic to have been included in Huawei’s Seeds for the Future, describing it as “a memorable five weeks”.

Now in its fifth year, the Seeds for the Future exchange programme allows students from The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology to head to China and upgrade their knowledge on that country’s technology, culture, and people.

The novel coronavirus pandemic forced last year’s programme to be held online, but there was still high praise from the students, more so Brown, who came out at the head of the pack.

“The programme was an exciting experience. It was very challenging, however, very rewarding in the end,” Brown said.

Though the sessions were virtual, Brown admitted that she still had the chance to learn a lot about the Chinese culture and practices.

“My experience included several online learning materials that I needed to cover within the week from topics like AI, 5G and Huawei mobile services. On a less technical note, we had several opportunities for cultural engagement. My favourite was our introduction to Mandarin which was done with a larger group from other Caribbean countries. I think it made me realise what it could have been like in-person. But online was still thrilling and it made me have a deeper yearning to understand and work with the global population,” Brown stated.

She went further to disclose that what she grasped from the programme turned out to be a great help with her current studies.

“The material covered through the programme was invaluable. I am a final-year student at UWI and one of my most challenging courses so far has been the capstone project, which is largely about finding an idea and bringing that to life through everything learned in the degree.

“What Huawei Seeds for the Future has done for me is give me the confidence in implementing the technologies they’ve taught me. I had not done AI as a UWI course but I have been working at understanding and implementing that in my capstone project,” she said.

With the new season of the programme to begin July 26 and end August 2, Brown is urging tertiary students to get involved and not be afraid to interact.

“Do not be afraid to shine. If a topic interests you, chances are Huawei has material on it,” she stated. “Make the time to soak in all that Huawei has to share. If we are still living the online reality for Seeds 2021, try to engage as best as possible online; ask questions and share experiences. People are interested in you and your culture so just believe in yourself. Most importantly, have fun,” she went on.

Huawei continues to share its experience with upcoming ICT talents in the hope of bringing those students opportunity and knowledge, thus preparing them for their future.

The programme was officially launched in 2008 and has since allowed the company to partner with over 400 universities around the world, bridging the communication between countries and cultures.