RP SOI student wins gold at national networking skills competition

Aarvalan Mathiyazhagan, School of Infocomm (SOI), Year 3 student, has clinched the gold medal at the APJC NetAcadRiders Competition 2025, organised by Cisco.

The competition brings together top students from Institutes of Higher Learning across Singapore for an interactive networking skills challenge that tests their technical knowledge and problem-solving abilities under pressure.

"Competing solo pushed me to think faster and apply everything I've learnt in DIT (Diploma in Information Technology, now known as the Diploma in Enterprise Cloud Computing & Management (DECM))," Aarvalan shares. "Solving tough networking problems under time pressure was intense but so rewarding. It showed me just how much I've grown, both technically and mentally."

Aarvalan's passion for understanding how systems, networks and applications work began during his days at Bartley Secondary School. After hearing positive stories about RP's supportive lecturers, hands-on learning and Problem-Based Learning approach, he decided to join the diploma programme.

Reflecting on his journey, he says, "RP encourages us to think about our career goals early. For me, it made me realise I want to build a career in AI and cloud, and hopefully work in a company like Google one day. The opportunities, mentors, and industry exposure here helped me sharpen my direction."

Passionate about cloud computing, AI or networking? Learn how the Diploma in Enterprise Cloud Computing & Management can help you build your tech career.