Jowen Lim Eng May:Blooming through trial and error, my path of cross-border design growth

Jul,08 2025

Jowen Lim Eng May from Malaysia, is a student in Visual Communication Design at the School of Design. She has received the Shanghai Government Scholarship (Second Class), and her design works have won multiple prestigious awards at both national and Shanghai-level competitions.

In 2019, drawn by the allure of life abroad, Jowen chose China for her studies, a country culturally similar and geographically close to her home. She became part of SJTU's International Foundation Program. Upon arriving in Shanghai, the vibrant city immediately captivated her. Her classmates, from all corners of the globe, mostly had clear goals and directions, yet she found herself still pondering: "What do I truly love? Who do I want to become?"

After joining the UM-SJTU Joint Institute, she initially believed her life would proceed smoothly along a predetermined path. She maintained excellent grades, consistently ranking in the top five of her class, until she encountered the "Introduction to Computers" course. Faced with the entirely new field of programming, she spent countless hours studying, meticulously reviewing video tutorials. However, day after day in the world of code, she began to question: "Is this truly the life I want?" During numerous late nights, her heart yearned for a world full of color and creativity, not cold lines of code.

    Looking back at her formative years, she suddenly realized her passion for art had always been evident—in middle school, she frequently lost herself in creating campus murals, finding immense joy in it. Thus, she bravely decided to step out of her comfort zone and apply to transfer to the Visual Communication Design program. Although the transfer process was challenging, especially with all communications being online during the pandemic, her strong determination and persistent efforts ultimately led her to successfully transfer to the School of Design, embarking on a brand new chapter in her life.

After transferring to the School of Design, Jowen quickly adapted to the new environment. Through courses such as Design Fundamentals and App Design, she steadily improved her skills and confidence. Her outstanding coursework led to multiple awards in design competitions.

As her studies progressed, Jowen focused on AIGC design in Teacher Liu Bo's Virtual Experience Design course, exploring the potential of AI in game art and creative practice. She and her team used AIGC tools to efficiently generate characters, scenes, and UI designs, while she independently built the technical framework for a 2D puzzle game—handling core gameplay programming and interaction logic. The project won First Prize in the Shanghai regional competition and achieved excellent results at the national level.

As a member of the School of Design's creative team, Jowen contributed to key publicity projects, including visual design and WeChat operations for materials like the Graduate Admissions Brochure and Engineering Platform Introduction. She also volunteered with the China Pavilion design team at the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale and, under Professor Xie Jingyao’s guidance, independently designed SJTU’s 2025 Year of the Yi-Si Snake calendar, which was well received after its release.

As a student assistant for design and communications at the International Student Development Center, Jowen was responsible for content creation for the Study@SJTU and Global SJTU WeChat accounts. Over three years, she produced nearly 200 posts and led visual design for major projects, including Safe Study Abroad, International Summer Programs, Undergraduate Admissions Guide for International Students, and the Global Universities Overseas Education Fair. These hands-on experiences helped her build a strong professional portfolio and enhance her design competitiveness.

Jowen served as a student assistant in the woodcraft workshop, helping Professors Liu Xiaokai and Zhang Fan manage and maintain equipment while guiding students in the use of digital fabrication tools such as laser cutters and oscillating knives. She also worked as a teaching assistant for courses like Woodcut Printmaking and AI Art Experiments, actively engaging in hands-on teaching and creative exploration alongside her peers.

Jowen has also been active in student life, serving as the lead visual designer for the Malaysia booth at SJTU Day for three consecutive years. In November 2023, she participated in two key speaking events: sharing her overseas study experience at the university’s exchange program briefing, and later, speaking as a student role model at a special session for international foundation students about her journey of changing majors.

Jowen Lim Eng May sees her study abroad journey as a series of creative challenges. She constantly unlocked "new maps," bravely exploring uncharted territories and embracing every challenge. Each project and every turning point became a "medal" collected on her journey. Now, at the "save point" of graduation, she's ready to load the next map: returning to her hometown to establish her personal design studio. There, she aims to cultivate the idea of AIGC empowering traditional craftsmanship, continue exploring the infinite possibilities of design, and let her passion be the most vibrant backdrop of her life.