Introducing our MITstem IGCSE High Achiever with 9 A*s, Wong Loke Juin

A water rocket that barely made it off the ground ended up becoming the starting point for something much bigger.

For one of his MITstem coursework projects, Loke Juin — or LJ — and his team had set themselves an ambitious challenge. While learning how to work more effectively together, LJ decided to design a custom flight-computer PCB for their rocket, despite having little experience doing anything quite like it before.

The launch itself did not go according to plan. Their rocket did not reach the height they had hoped for, and they were only able to launch a proof of concept. But the circuit board worked — and, more importantly, it collected data. Instead of dwelling on the result, LJ turned his attention to what could come next.

His teacher, Cheow Ming Yuen, saw the potential in what LJ had created and encouraged him to develop the idea further. That conversation eventually grew into an altimeter project designed to benefit future students completing the same coursework. It is one of several projects LJ hopes will continue making an impact at MITstem even after he leaves.

Outside the classroom, he’s tinkering with electronics, microcontrollers and circuit design — or switching gears entirely to piano, violin and origami. He performed in several musical groups, set up origami booths during App Day, and was part of an XPRIZE Healthspan Top 40 team.

Now pursuing A-Levels in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Further Mathematics, LJ hopes to continue into Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechatronics or a related field, with a particular interest in electronics and PCB design.

That same curiosity has accompanied LJ throughout his four years at MITstem. He describes his experience as a journey of growth and self-discovery — discovering how he learns best, building friendships and continually looking for ways to go beyond what was required, whether through coursework, side projects or initiatives that could improve the school.

Academically, that journey culminated in an exceptional result: 9 A*s in IGCSE, alongside recognition as Top in Malaysia for First Language English in 2025.