Yale-NUS students work and learn through internships

Internships provide an opportunity for students to put their knowledge into action, and some Yale-NUS students took the chance to embark on internships during the last semester break, with some continuing to work, even during the semester, on a part-time basis.

Ranging from photography to illustration to law, these internships reflect the diversity of interests among students and help them gain valuable industry experience.

Angie with Sonny Liew at Singapore Comic Con. Image provided by Angie (Class of 2024).

After working as a freelance illustrator for three years, Angie (Aye Chan Phyu Sin) (Class of 2024) wanted to venture deeper into content creation at a company that produces valuable and meaningful messages. This led her to become an Illustrator Intern at The Woke Salaryman, a Singaporean media company that helps young people gain financial knowledge through visual storytelling.

The company’s comics are a viral hit on social media, with its Instagram page amassing over 376,000 followers. “I’ve been a big fan of The Woke Salaryman ever since their beginnings,” she shared. The experience has given her a unique insight into the media industry in Singapore, “My ‘woke’ bosses have been teaching me technical art skills, life lessons, and generously answering all my questions over the past few months”, she added.

Though Angie is no stranger to creating art as an Arts & Humanities minor, the internship has given her a new perspective on the relationship between art and professional work. “I have learnt to differentiate between company interests and pride in my personal craft. My art is no good unless it adds value to the message delivered throughout the written story,” Angie shared.

Angie finished her stint at The Woke Salaryman in early February. “Before I left, I’ve even attempted to write some new pieces myself,” she added.

James did a law internship during the semester break. Image provided by James Soh (Class of 2025).

James Soh (Class of 2025), a student in the Double Degree Programme in Law and Liberal Arts also took advantage of the year-end break to gain industry experience. He did an internship as part of the Financial Services Regulatory Team at Baker Mckenzie Wong & Leow, an international law firm with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

In his role, he conducted legal research and drafted legal opinions on various financial regulations in Singapore. “The combination of the legal research module I took in my first year, as well as the Global Affairs classes I’ve taken, have sparked my interest in the financial markets space,” James shared.

“The law industry is much broader than some might think. There are many different areas of law and lawyers tend to specialise in a specific one,” he explained. The internship also enabled him to interact directly with experienced law practitioners. “Speaking to the lawyers in the firm gave me a better idea about which specific areas I’m interested in and the types of firms I would want to work in,” he added.

Conducting legal research at the established firm was no simple task, but James is thankful for the opportunity. “I’ve learnt to be a more critical thinker, which is definitely helpful for future classes at Yale-NUS,” he said.

Ann did a photography internship during the semester break. Image provided by Ann Chen (Class of 2024). 

Even though Ann Chen (Class of 2024) was doing a semester abroad programme at Yale University in the United States, she still searched for job opportunities to further her interests. From September to December 2022, she worked as a Photography Darkroom Lab Monitor at the Yale School of Art.

Her day-to-day duties involved the organisation of Yale’s photography darkroom laboratory operations, including maintaining chemistry levels, checking the functioning of equipment, and assisting people in developing films. “As a photography enthusiast and freelance photographer, I was eager to expand my knowledge and connect with like-minded individuals during my semester abroad,” Ann said.

Despite having no prior experience working in a darkroom, she was eager to gain hands-on experience in a creative environment. “One of the most valuable lessons I learned was the importance of attention to detail. In the darkroom, even the slightest mistake can have a significant impact on the final print, so I learned to approach each step of the process with care and precision,” she explained.

As a major in Mathematical, Computational, and Statistical Sciences with a minor in Arts & Humanities, Ann’s experience helped shape her career aspirations. Looking to delve deeper into the intersection between the two fields, she shared, “I’m now considering furthering my education with an art graduate programme after gaining some practical experience in the computer science industry.”