INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

Ezenn Chong, Singapore Management University

Social Cause Marketing/Communication Intern

My summer internship in Bangkok has been a journey of personal and professional growth. It was my first time travelling solo overseas for an extended period of three months, and I was excited to see what Thailand had in store for me.

Living in Thailand has been an incredibly pleasurable experience. The locals are kind and friendly, with cashiers smiling at customers in eateries and passers-by helping to pick up dropped items. The pace of life in Bangkok feels much slower compared to the bustling city life in Singapore where I came from. Living here has also made me appreciate things I took for granted back home, such as clean tap water and reliable electricity. Although the language barrier posed a challenge while exploring the city, I managed to communicate effectively with the help of Google Translate and animated gestures.

As a social media intern at Sidekick, my daily responsibilities involve editing videos for the company’s Instagram and TikTok accounts. I also partake in website creation and research for other projects.

My biggest takeaway from this internship was learning how to create compelling videos, from writing voiceover scripts to selecting and arranging the right clips. These steps seemed trivial to me at the start, but I soon realised that each step required careful consideration to ensure cohesive video storyline. Consequently, I had the opportunity to launch Sidekick’s behind-the-scenes series for their trip to Malaysia on Instagram and TikTok.

One of the greatest challenges I encountered was mastering the software tools for webpage creation. Initially overwhelmed by the abundance of tools and elements available on the software, I found creating new webpages daunting. However, with the guidance of my colleagues and online tutorials, I gradually gained confidence in navigating the software and creating appealing interface designs.

The highlight of my internship was contributing to the website design for the Prasobkarn project. While reading the project brief, I pitched an impromptu idea to make the website more engaging. To my surprise, my colleagues welcomed the idea and we moved forward with it. I then collaborated closely with the team to develop interesting storylines for each characters to better engage audiences.

The supportive work environment at Sidekick provided a safe space for me to learn, grow and make new friends. My colleagues were patient and always willing to offer their help and advice. Having my ideas acknowledged during meetings further fuelled my work motivation.

Overall, interning at Sidekick has been a valuable experience. The support from my colleagues and the autonomy I had over my tasks gave me a strong sense of pride in my work.