Dear reader, I am glad that you have decided to read about ME! But who am I? Over the next few minutes, you will discover the story of a surviving maths student lost in the world of numbers who decides to take a stand and make a difference.
Hello, I am Kai Cheng, a third-year mathematics student currently working as a Learn Foundations Intern. Have I learnt a lot during this internship? Absolutely. Have I been foundationally transformed? Undeniably. Am I still lost? Depends. dun dun duuun
Maths has always been a strong suit for me. I was the classic overachieving Asian, first generation British, five-year-old who reigned supreme all throughout school. But university? That was a different equation altogether. My confidence reflected across the y-axis; suddenly, I was no longer exceptional, just one smart brain among many brilliant minds. This transition into an academic environment triggered a period of self-reflection common among undergraduates, though particularly challenging for someone accustomed to clear solutions and definitive answers. Where academic challenges had once come easily, I now faced concepts that demanded persistent effort and more rigorous study methods. While my mathematics degree provides exceptional career flexibility, with skills applicable across numerous fields, this very versatility initially felt overwhelming rather than empowering. Having spent years working with structured problems yielding single solutions, I found myself unprepared for the open-ended nature of career planning.
This internship came at a pivotal moment, offering clarity amidst the paradox of feeling both capable of anything and uncertain of everything. By channelling my energy into a defined role, I discovered structure and purpose. Surprisingly, the 9-to-5 rhythm provided a better work-life balance than the unpredictable demands of university, allowing me to focus on professional growth with renewed discipline.
A key takeaway has been the importance of teamwork. Collaborating with nine other motivated interns, I undertook critical projects: auditing next year’s course pages, evaluating the accessibility of past courses to guide improvements, and migrating Moodle content to Learn as part of the university’s platform transition. These tasks required meticulous coordination, communication, and problem-solving skills which I have optimised through this hands-on experience.
Beyond core responsibilities, the internship encouraged ownership and initiative. We were entrusted with independent projects and granted flexibility over scope and timelines while continuing with the everyday tasks. This balance of structure and flexibility has been instrumental in developing both my technical and project management abilities.
My Personal Project: The Learn Assignment Due Date Calendar
Then came my passion project: the Learn assignment due date calendar. This is a tool with massive potential, held back by one flaw: it requires manual input from every course organiser. The problem was obvious. The solution? Simple in theory, harder in practice. I couldn’t rewrite the system, but I could persuade. So, I created two student POV videos to rally support:
Unified Due Date Calendar Pitch 1
Unified Due Date Calendar Pitch 2
I presented one of these videos to over 25 Learn technologists who commended me on both the idea and the execution of the videos. This has given me the confidence to move forward with this project. Now, I am piloting a workflow for the School of Maths, but I need your help. Here I am, a university student whose only aim was to get a degree in maths but who is now taking a stand for himself and trying to make a difference in the world. And you can help. You can help me take this stand! Share these videos! Email your course organisers! Let’s make this calendar a reality!
So yes, I am still a maths student lost in numbers, for one more year at least. But this internship has changed the equation. Now problems are not only numbers and formulas. I see systems that can be improved, processes that can be streamlined, and solutions waiting to be implemented. That unused assignment calendar? I didn’t just notice the problem; I designed a practical solution and convinced university technologists it was worth implementing.
Turns out mathematical thinking is just the beginning. What really matters is what you do with it. You need the initiative to identify problems, the persistence to solve them, and the courage to drive change. So, while the numbers may still confuse me sometimes, one thing is crystal clear: I’m no longer just studying mathematics. I’m using it to make things better.
