Page 48 - Scholarship Guide Aug 2020

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Music Director
for Singapore
Society’s
annual
musical
production.

Amsterdam trip with
fellow MND EDGE Scholars.

London were defi nitely the practical experi- Most importantly, the colleagues that I have
ences. Lasting memories were forged when met at URA selfl essly pushed me to accomplish
we braved the rain in Wales for a week-long more than I could by myself, dispensed advice
Surveying trip; when we tripped and fell over beyond just work, and provided me with valu-
the rocky beaches and mines in different parts able resources and support throughout my
of UK for our Engineering Geology trip and university education. I am grateful to be able
when we fi nally completed our structure that to meet such warm, nurturing and like-minded I pursued my passion by serving as Music Di-
we planned and built from scratch in our Con- colleagues. rector for Singapore Society’s annual musical
structionarium course. Pouring concrete, tying production. I am sure there will be something
reinforcement bars, going through project and Being a supportive organisation, URA encour- out there for you as well!
risk management meetings every night may be aged me to intern at an engineering consul-
arduous work, but if you relish the satisfaction tancy in London. I was fortunate to be able to Apart from discovering new cultures, I am
of witnessing your project coming to life, Civil work on major projects such as the Thames thankful for a close-knit group of friends. As
Engineering will surely be the right choice for Tideway as well as London Heathrow Airport part of the Ministry of National Development
you! expansion and will bring the lessons learnt EDGE Scholarship, scholars from the subsidiary
back to Singapore. statutory boards get to take part in an orien-
As part of the URA Scholarship, I was given tation camp. I am blessed to have made close
the opportunity to intern in the Underground Life abroad can be daunting at the start, but friends, celebrating Chinese New Year together
Works Department and Planning Policies De- change begins at the end of our comfort zones. in chilly London, peppering the streets of Am-
partment. I was involved in a broad spectrum Exploring new countries and meeting people sterdam with our Singlish and supporting each
of projects, such as the 3D Underground Mas- along the way showed me not just the ‘tour- other through our internship stints. If you are
terplan, car-lite initiative, etc. Furthermore, I isty’ side of countries, but the vulnerable as someone who cherishes teamwork and syn-
was exposed to how rigorous data analysis well. It was not just about the different urban ergy, the URA Scholarship will certainly be a
is translated into actionable insights to guide fabrics, but also how people of different cul- good fi t!
planning, how stakeholder engagement is an tures interacted with their environment.
important component of policy formulation It is an immense responsibility and privilege to
and how multiple teams or agencies have to Personally, my lifelong dream of orchestral be able to directly affect change in Singapore.
work hand in hand to design, shape and man- concert hall hopping around Europe was ful- Take up the URA Scholarship and join this fam-
age Singapore’s built environment. fi lled as well. At the Imperial College London, ily of urban planners (as a Civil Engineer)!

URA Scholarship
Ng Jia Yi
Age: 24

Now: Master of
Engineering in Civil
Engineering, Year 3
Imperial College
London (UK)

From: Raffl es Institution
URA colleagues that selfl essly dispensed advice and helped me through my internship as well
as university life.