Enriching Internships

I interned at MSF under Child Protective Service (Child Welfare), where I worked on revamping the MSF website and curate materials for the Pre-Adoption Briefing (PAB) workshops in Singapore. As a Social Science student majoring in both Psychology and Communications Management, I was lucky to secure an internship that would put both my majors to good use! Coordinating with internal and external stakeholders of the Ministry really taught me more about communications in a real life setting which was very insightful. For the PAB workshops, the materials had to be data- and research-driven, which was perfect for a Psychology major like me! I enjoyed researching on disclosure practices overseas – comparing the different disclosure practices and their psychological effects on children of various ages. This was a valuable experience as I got to experience the social service professional's role in the legal setting. Though I was not working first-hand with the clients of MSF, I had various opportunities to sit in real-life case conferences where I witnessed social interventions being practices at various levels. Overall, this internship experience with MSF has given me a deeper understanding and appreciation for the adoption and child protection service landscape in Singapore.

As a social science student, I realised a need to learn about data science, especially with the increasing importance and usage of data. This prompted me to read modules relating to data visualisation and statistical modelling. Wanting to put what I had learnt to practice, I decided to take on the role as a Research Intern at MOM, where I was tasked with analysing and visualising a dataset relating to mature job seekers. This task provided me with the opportunity to practise and strengthen my data science knowledge. This internship stint was a significant one for me as I got to experience the real working environment where there are no professors to assist you, ask questions to frame your thought processes or guide your sequence of codes. One will have to make do with online forums, ask the right questions, and hunt for appropriate responses. Additionally, due to the visualisation needs of the task, I was prompted to learn and use Tableau, that was a software that I have been wanting to learn but could never find the time for. Though this internship was only a-month long, the experience was valuable, and I gained meaningful takeaways from my stint with MOM.