#CodingLabStudents: Caleb Asher Kusumo, 12-Year-Old NOI 2025 Bronze Medallist!
Here is Caleb, our bright #CodingLabStudent and Bronze Medallist of NOI 2025!
At just 12 years old, Caleb has done something truly remarkable — earning a Bronze Award at the National Olympiad in Informatics (NOI) 2025, one of Singapore’s most challenging coding competitions! Tackling advanced algorithmic problems written for secondary and JC students, Caleb stood shoulder to shoulder with some of the nation’s brightest and came away with a medal to show for it.
Caleb’s journey has been all about trying a lot of things. As a homeschooled student, he’s had the freedom to explore his interests. He has over 1,500 books that his mum lovingly collected, and aside from robotics, he also loves business and economics, swimming, and trying new food. Through it all, Caleb enjoys taking on new challenges and sees something new to learn every day. His story reminds us that childhood is meant for exploring, and that learning, at its best, is filled with laughter, joy, and wide-eyed excitement. Let’s find out more about his coding journey!
“My mom enrolled me in a Scratch camp at Coding Lab after I started learning ScratchJr at home. That’s when I realised there were so many more languages out there — I wanted to keep going.”
Congratulations on winning an award at the NOI 2025! How did you feel about your achievement?
I am overjoyed to know I got a Bronze. I do think I could have done better. This makes me want to challenge myself further. I want to target at least silver next year in NOI 2026!
How was your NOI experience? What have you learnt? What was the best part of it?
The NOI 2025 Final at NUS was truly an eye-opening experience for me! I might even say it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. The entire 8-hour event really made me realise there's so much more for me to learn if I want to do better in NOI. The best part, though, was definitely the lunch break – an all-you-can-eat buffet from the NUS School of Computing!
Caleb has won numerous national and international awards in Mathematics, Computational Thinking, and Invention Conventions!
How did you first get started with coding?
I first got started with coding by learning ScratchJr at home. Then, my mom enrolled me in a Scratch camp at Coding Lab. After a while, I realised there were many other languages, so I asked my mom if there were any camps for Python as well.
What do you like about coding? How has coding made a difference in your life?
I really enjoy coding because it's so much fun! I've always wanted to create my own games, and I also think coding can help my robots move and bring my ideas to life.
How did you get started at Coding Lab?
I recall my mom asking me if I wanted to attend a camp (I had already tried everything she gave me to learn coding online at home), and I immediately said yes. I really liked the few days at camp, and I wish I could do more!
“I’m overjoyed to get Bronze — but I think I can do better. I’m already aiming for Silver next year in NOI 2026!”
What are you coding right now? Any exciting future coding projects or dream projects that you want to mention?
To prepare for NOI 2026, I'm currently diving back into C++ to really sharpen my skills.
Aside from coding, what are your hobbies?
I've always been a curious person with a lot of different interests! I love reading—my mom has collected over 1500 books for us at home, so there's always something to explore. I enjoy tinkering, building, solving puzzles, and diving into things like math, technology, and business. Being homeschooled gives me the flexibility to really follow my interests and even travel with my parents when they're working.
Over the years, this curiosity has led me to take part in all kinds of activities—from building robots and arcade machines to woodworking and exploring programming. I’ve been lucky to get involved in competitions too—like math Olympiads, coding and robotics events, and even music and swimming competitions. These experiences have helped me learn to stay focused, solve problems, and keep challenging myself.
Right now, my big goal is to complete my Piano Grade 8 ABRSM exam soon (it's been dragging a bit!). I also stay active with sports like swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, and tennis. My parents encouraged both music and sports early on to help me build balance and good habits alongside my STEM interests.
At 8, Caleb built and wired this Arduino walking robot during lockdown, learning through Zoom. Here’s a glimpse into his tech-filled journey - from building PCs to crafting a retro arcade with Raspberry Pi - as well as his other hobbies!
What are your future aspirations? What do you want to be when you grow up?
I currently have many diverse interests and remain open to exploring any new possibilities. It's quite possible that what I'll be doing in the future doesn't even exist yet, but hopefully, I'll be able to connect all these seemingly unrelated dots someday.
Lastly, what advice would you give to young coders who want to participate in competitions like NOI, especially if it’s their first time?
My advice is to just start. We never know if we'll like something unless we try. It might seem hard at first, but my parents always tell me that to grow, we need to keep challenging ourselves.
When your activities are fueled by your own motivation and passion, you'll naturally strive to do more yourself. You'll willingly go the extra mile, dig deeper, practice more, and dedicate extra time to what truly matters to you.
For me, embracing challenges through various competitions has never been about collecting accolades or awards. Instead, it's always been about pushing myself to improve. As my dad always told me, "The only person you're competing against is yourself from last year." My parents always emphasized that winning or losing wasn't the point of joining. What truly mattered was how I practiced and prepared, whether I learned something new, or if I made new connections during the competition!
Caleb’s story is a wonderful reminder of how powerful learning can be when it’s driven by curiosity and joy. Whether he’s coding in C++, building robots, or even trying new great foods while travelling, he embraces each new challenge with a sense of wonder and play. It’s this spark — the excitement of exploring something new — that makes childhood learning so meaningful. We’re excited to see where Caleb’s journey takes him next, and we hope his story inspires more young minds to learn fearlessly and dream big. See you on top Caleb!
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!
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(Written by Ayya)