KUCHING: Team Hopecore from SMK Lutong clinched the national title at Shell NXplorers Malaysia 2025.
Competing against five other outstanding teams from across the country, Hopecore impressed judges with their creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving prowess.
The event, graced by Deputy Minister of Economy, Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib, took place here on Saturday.
Lee Sun, Lakesh Murugayah and Leann Yii Zhen were surprised and a little overwhelmed when they were announced as the winner, a moment they said they will never forget.
“I’m feeling really ecstatic right now. Just before these few moments, I was holding in the urge to just bawl onto the floor and cry,” said Sun, who is also Hopecore’s team leader.
For Lakesh, the experience was equally emotional.
“I was shocked. I couldn’t stop shaking, even on stage when receiving the trophy and mock cheque,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yii Zhen said she was overjoyed for the team and could not wait to travel to Shanghai together for the upcoming study trip.
As national champions, Team Hopecore will embark on a study trip to Shanghai to learn more about science and technology.
Reflecting on the journey, the team described the competition as both fun and challenging.
“Honestly, it’s a fun and competitive experience. I feel like everyone gave it their all – the passion, the drive – it was all a really good experience,” said Lakesh.
Sun added: “It was stressful and challenging as well as very competitive that we had to stay up past midnight to make sure everything was right.
“We had to pull all-nighters to work on a project and to study as well. And considering that this was the final, this was a pretty big deal for us.”
Sun said STEM competitions are about spreading ideas and share stories to the world in the hope that one day it will able to change it for the better.
“I think we should always learn to seek more because learning is a continuous process. It never stops,” added Yii Zhen.
Hopecore invented Signify which improves communication between deaf students and the hearing community in Malaysian schools.
Addressing the lack of certified sign language interpreters, the team created a web-based app that translates Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM) to text and speech, and vice versa.
Built with NXthinking tools, it is accessible across devices and offers an affordable, scalable, and inclusive solution for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community nationwide.
Country Chair of Shell Malaysia and Senior Vice President Upstream Malaysia, Siti Sulaiman, said it is inspiring to witness the students rise to the challenge as they tackled complex problems with resilience, ingenuity and a strong sense of purpose.
“Their ability to think critically, innovate boldly, and push boundaries reflects the kind of leadership our world needs.
“These young changemakers are not just imagining a better future, they’re actively shaping it,” said Siti.
Six schools, two finalists each from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, participated in the national finals after emerging state winners and runners up at the state level of the Shell NXplorers Malaysia competition.
The finalist schools were SMK Lutong (Sarawak), SMK Bandar Bintulu (Sarawak), SMK Taman Seri Rampai (Selangor), SMK Bandar Puncak Jalil (Kuala Lumpur), SM All Saints (Sabah) and SM Sung Siew (Sabah).
