Day 1 of onboarding week was a blast. We met our batchmates and future mentors, hyped each other up with group cheers, and then got handed a pile of LEGO bricks with a deceptively tricky challenge — build a house, but nothing about it was straightforward. The constant rule twists kept us on our toes and had our creative juices flowing from the get-go.
Day 2 was a chill day; it began with an office tour. We roamed around the 27th floor, exploring the office space and facilities like the sleeping quarters and the shower room. It was also great to meet the other employees as we roamed around. Gail would introduce us – “They are the 2026 Grad Trainees Batch 1…” – and we couldn’t help but feel excited.
In the afternoon, we participated in the Canvas Painting. Having been assigned themes, we all got to work. We grabbed all our materials – brushes, mixing plates, pencils – and headed toward the canvasses. It was a relaxing time for the group. Even though none of us are painters, we still give it our best shot.
Day 3 was all about getting to know the place we’ll be calling our second home!
We kicked things off with a tour around BGC — finally putting a feel to the neighborhood we’ll be seeing every day. The highlight, though? Phitopolis treated us to a trip to the Mind Museum, and it did not disappoint. It was the perfect mix of fun and curiosity that made for some genuinely great memories with the batch.
We wrapped the day on a more focused note, reviewing materials for our upcoming datathon. By the time Day 3 was done, we were already looking ahead — rested, recharged, and ready for whatever Day 4 had in store.
Despite having only one event in Day 4, it was definitely a highlight. The Datathon started with the batch being split into 4 groups, and each group was assigned a mentor from the QR team. We were given financial datasets that contained financial data from 2017 to 2020. The goal of the Datathon is to create a model from the data which will be evaluated using the 2021 data. We had to explore the datasets, engineer features, and train the final model. It felt like we were groping in the dark, but thanks to our mentors, we were able to complete the tasks and submit our models.
Day 5 was a breather in the best way possible — no heavy tasks, just good food, good games, and even better company. Phitopolis took us out to Skinny Mike’s, a restobar they fully rented out just for us, and the night was everything. We got to unwind, bond with the batch, and finally get some face time with the leads of the teams we’ll soon be joining.
The night was packed with fun quiz games and a well-deserved awarding ceremony for the week’s challenge winners. It was the perfect cap to five incredibly eventful days.
Onboarding week is officially a wrap — and honestly? It’s one for the books. Here’s to what comes next!🍺