Jeanette Cheah at CIEE 2025: Redesigning the Internship Experience

Jeanette Cheah on eXQ and the Future of Internships at CIEE 2025

In June 2025, in the buzzing heart of Singapore, HEX proudly joined the global conversation on the future of work and learning.

Our CEO and co-founder, Jeanette Cheah, was invited to speak at the CIEE Global Internship Conference, an international gathering of educators, employers, and changemakers shaping the next era of experiential learning and global internships.

“The future doesn’t belong to the fearless.

It belongs to the builders.”

And true to form, Jeanette brought her signature clarity, warmth, and future-focused energy. 🔥

The Future of Internships Starts Here

Hosted by CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange), the conference brings together global voices to tackle one big question:

"How do we futureproof work and learning for the next generation?"

Jeanette joined a powerhouse panel featuring representatives from OpenAI and Reach University, a nonprofit institution in the U.S. focused on equity and innovation in higher education.

Together, they explored how emerging technologies, alternative models, and bold thinking can transform how students engage with internships and global work opportunities.

On stage, Jeanette shared how HEX is flipping the script on internships, building programs where students don’t just take part in the workforce, they redefine it.

She introduced the HEX framework:

🧠 Mindsets that are curious, courageous, and community-driven
🛠️ Toolsets like pitching, risk-taking, and financial fluency
💡 Skillsets developed through real, messy, meaningful experiences

Because students don’t just need “work experience.”

They need ownership. Impact. A seat at the table.

HEX on the Mic

From a main stage keynote to a dynamic fireside panel, Jeanette embodied HEX’s bold, student-first approach to learning.

A major highlight? Introducing eXQ - Exponential Intelligence™:

HEX’s way of preparing students to not only navigate change, but lead through it.

eXQ is about:

Developing adaptive mindsets
Thinking entrepreneurially
Leading with clarity in uncertain environments

Because in a world moving at exponential speed, learners don’t just need IQ or EQ.

They need eXQ, to thrive in complexity, create in chaos, and take meaningful action.

Jeanette also spotlighted one of our flagship models: the HEX International as CEO Internship, where students don’t intern for a company, they intern for themselves by building and launching their own business idea.

What This Means for the Future

Internships are evolving, and HEX is leading the charge.

As the only Asia-Pacific-founded startup represented at the conference, we were proud to offer a fresh perspective: one grounded in innovation, agility, and student-powered entrepreneurship.

Across ASEAN, Australia, and beyond, we’re designing borderless, startup-style internships where learners don’t just fit into a system, they create it.