#CodingLabStudents: Aqil Poh, ICS 2024/25 Gold and Wildlife Conservation Award Winner!
Aqil, our Gold and Judge’s Choice (Most Creative and Social Impact) Award winner for the International Coding Showcase (ICS) 2024/25 Award Ceremony held at the Singapore Zoo with Mr. Foo (Founder, Coding Lab) and Dr. Shang Zhe (Vice President of Veterinary Healthcare at Mandai Wildlife Group)
From biking across Mars in his imagination to building apps that raise awareness for animal conservation, Aqil, age 12, brings bold creativity and deep purpose to everything he does.
His passion for history, space, and making a difference truly stood out at the International Coding Showcase (ICS) 2024/25, where he won Gold, received the Judges’ Choice for Most Creative & Social Impact, and was specially selected by Singapore Zoo staff for the Wildlife Conservation Award—a triple achievement that reflects his inspiring journey!
He has also previously taken part in other competitions, such as the MIT AI & Education Summit ‘Hack the Climate’ Hackathon (Beginner Open Category), where he and his teammates won the 2nd Prize!
Read more about his coding journey and where he finds his inspiration!
“My first ICS project was pretty basic. This time, I wanted to prove how much I’ve grown and build something I could truly be proud of!”
Tell us about yourself!
Here is Aqil at MIT, where he and his team won the 2nd Prize at the MIT AI & Education Summit ‘Hack the Climate’ Hackathon!
I’m really into history and space. Give me a book about World War 2 or the Apollo missions and I’ll disappear for hours. I like figuring out how people used to live, or how they managed to launch guys like Neil Armstrong and Yuri Gagarin into space with way less tech than what we have now. It’s kind of wild!
I have also been doing triathlons lately. Swimming, biking, running. It feels like training for some secret mission. Sometimes I pretend I’m sprinting through a war zone, or biking across Mars with a jetpack - makes it way more fun!
How did you start coding?
I signed up for an App Inventor class at Coding Lab during the school holidays, just to try something new. I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much—but after that class, coding became my top choice every time I earned screen time. Now, I’d pick coding over games any day!
Why did you decide to join the International Coding Showcase 24/25 (ICS)?
I signed up for ICS 2025 because I was really motivated to level up from my last year’s entry. My first project was done just a few months after I started learning to code, so it was pretty basic. This time, I wanted to prove how much I have grown and create something I could truly be proud of!
“One day, I’d love to build robots that explore space or uncover lost history. I want to help people discover new things about our world—and maybe even other worlds.”
What have you learned from your ICS participation?
I learned so much—not just about coding, but about managing a full project. From brainstorming and planning, to coding and debugging, to putting together a presentation that could make people feel excited about what I built. It really helped me become more confident and organised.
What are your future coding aspirations?
Ever since I joined coding classes, I realized that writing code is like creating the future and the possibilities are limitless!
One day, I would love to build smart machines, like robots that explore deep space or uncover lost history underground. I think it would be amazing to use technology to help people discover new things about our world and maybe even other worlds too!
With his fearless imagination, love for learning, and drive to make a difference, Aqil represents everything the ICS stands for. His award-winning project not only impressed the judges, but also touched the hearts of the Singapore Zoo staff, who saw his genuine passion for animals and conservation. Whether he’s training like a space explorer or coding his next big idea, we know Aqil is on a mission—and we can’t wait to see where it takes him next.
Our #CodingLabStudents blogs feature our ambitious students and their ongoing coding journeys – be it the budding coder or advanced Python Pro, we appreciate each and every single one’s efforts as they progress to greater heights. 🌱
Coding Lab offers an award-winning curriculum specially for ages 5 to 18 – check out our courses to begin your own coding journey today!
Read Next: #CodingLabStudents: Joseph Yeo, ICS 2024/25 Platinum Award Winner!
Read Next: #CodingLabStudents: Lam Dieu Phong, ICS 2024/25 Silver Award Winner!
Read Next: #CodingLabStudents: Asami Inada, ICS 2024/25 Silver Award Winner!