While Azzah Atifah would describe herself as a passionate go-getter who knows what she wants, one would be surprised to learn that as a teenager fresh out of secondary school, she struggled to choose from a plethora of polytechnic programmes open to her. When the time came to bite the bullet and make this possibly life-changing decision, Azzah sat down with her mother to review every single one of her options in detail. After carefully considering Azzah’s best subjects — Science as well as Design and Technology — and her love for nature, art and drawing, they came to the decision that pursuing Landscape Architecture was the right choice for her.
Now a Year 4 Landscape Architecture major at NUS College of Design and Engineering (CDE), Azzah is able to look back at that day fondly, knowing that they made the right call based on her melange of interests and skills.
When Azzah first set foot in NUS, it opened her eyes to a refreshing diversity — both in terms of the people she would meet as well as the interdisciplinary courses she could take in CDE. She cites the EG1311: Design and Make course as her favourite amongst the common courses offered to all students in CDE. The project teams were a diverse mix of engineering and design students, resulting in a dynamic exchange of knowledge and the cross-pollination of ideas.
Azzah’s group created a robot that could pass through obstacles, relying on coding expertise from her engineering teammates as well as an optimal lightweight build crafted by Azzah and her fellow design students, resulting in the final product’s synergy of form and function.
Azzah (back row, second from right), holding the robot that she made with her Design and Make project group teammates from the College of Design and Engineering.
Characterising the culture of NUS Landscape Architecture as generous, she opines: “School life is very fast-paced. Yet even though everyone wants to succeed, there is no individualistic mindset. Instead, everyone is willing to contribute and collaborate in our work projects.”
Insights from on-site
The opportunity for global learning in the form of an overseas expedition to Kyoto, Japan led by NUS Architecture Lecturer Mr Kenya Endo, was also a memorable highlight for Azzah. Eight NUS Landscape Architecture students worked closely with a local collaborator to learn about traditional Kayabuki thatched houses, ecology, infrastructure and land use in a small settlement in Kyoto known as Satoyama.
Azzah (first from right) and her fellow Landscape Architecture students enjoying well-earned sushi after harvesting reeds, which were eventually used for the thatched houses.
The on-site observations and insights gleaned from the villagers have inspired and influenced Azzah to believe that sustainable living between humans and nature is possible. It has also shown her the possibilities of adopting the many values and practices found in Satoyama in Singapore within smaller communities. With time, Azzah hopes that more people could be accustomed to these values, potentially normalising the practice of co-existing with our landscape and its natural systems. "Perhaps by then, Singaporeans may be able to finally experience the authentic feeling of living in harmony with nature.”
As an avowed arts enthusiast who thrives on constant variety and stimulation, Azzah has also accumulated years of experience in both dance and henna. Adept at contemporary, hip-hop and Malay dance, she shared that her dance communities have also inspired her to be fearless. “Dance has taught me to put aside these fears, set my goals and stay the course to reach them,” she says with a smile.
Azzah (second from left), performing with NUS Ilsa Tari at Rentak Budaya 2023.
Azzah’s artistic inclinations naturally led her to become a self-taught henna artist who fell in love with making henna art at 12 years old. At 16, she began offering her henna services professionally, conducting workshops and specialising in bridal henna under the name Hennaflair, with the encouragement of friends and family. However, her entrepreneurial journey was not without its ups and downs.
For many businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic was a profound force, bringing about disruptions to their services and uncertainty about their operating landscape. An intrepid businesswoman, Azzah started selling her own stencils and henna cones during the circuit breaker, progressing to conduct private workshops when social restrictions were relaxed. In retrospect Azzah muses: “Henna art provides me with the opportunity to grow, explore new ideas, and stretch outside my comfort zone. The pandemic actually spurred me to pivot and provide services beyond henna art. It taught me to be adaptable, to identify problems and solve them as they come. That ultimately gave me the conviction and courage to become an entrepreneur.”
Azzah conducting a Henna workshop for her colleagues during her NUS Overseas Colleges Paris internship at Kovalee.
What cemented Azzah’s love of entrepreneurship was the NUS Enterprise Summer Programme in Entrepreneurship which she undertook in her second year. That became the stepping stone that helped her successfully apply to the highly competitive NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) Paris programme.
Hustle like a boss
Since hitting the streets of Paris in July 2023, Azzah has seen herself undergo transformation and growth on every front. As an app store optimisation (ASO) graphic design intern at Kovalee, a key part of her job scope involves creating and optimising visual content to improve the visibility, appeal and user engagement of mobile apps on various app stores. The jump from landscape architecture to ASO was a big and intimidating one, but her colleagues and Creative Lead at Kovalee helped her to learn the ropes quickly.
At NOC Paris, Azzah is also thankful for the mentorship offered by entrepreneurs who have paved the way before her. In school, entrepreneurs have conducted guest lectures at Paris Sciences et Lettres University, where she attends courses like TR3204S: Entrepreneurship Practicum, TR3202: Startup Internship Programme and ETP2271: Discovering Resilience & Purpose, which have helped hone her entrepreneurial mindset. She even joined forces with her fellow NOC Paris batchmates to pitch a business idea during the NUS Venture Initiation Programme.
Azzah (third from left) on a short holiday with her NOC Paris batchmates in Normandy, France.
Asked to compare entrepreneurship and architecture, Azzah opines:
A better version of me
Working and studying in Paris has taught the go-getter how to learn to live in a more holistic and grounded manner. “Back in Singapore, my schedule was so hectic. Now in Paris, I make home cooked meals, keep up with my fitness, and sleep a decent seven hours each day,” Azzah laughs.
Azzah shared that she is always working towards becoming a better version of herself, and in that same spirit, she hopes to become a successful entrepreneur one day with the help of her training in landscape architecture and her NOC Paris experience. “I plan to expand Hennaflair further with the entrepreneurship knowledge and skills I’ve gained at NUS, while prioritising my full-time career as a Landscape Architect,” she reveals.