Page 42 - Scholarship Guide Feb 2020

40 SCHOLAR’S PROFILE

In MND, we work hard as a team and also take the time to unwind and enjoy ourselves as a close-knit family. Here's Rachel (pictured far left), with
her colleagues in MND's Strategic Planning Division at MND's Dinner & Entertainment Night 2019.

Having The Right Edge

MND EDGE and expectations of what it was like to work What made you decide to
in the fi eld of urban planning in Singapore.
choose your course in your
SCHOLAR RACHEL I took up the MND EDGE scholarship as I university?
found that policy work was where I could
LIU YUNYANN tackle issues at the most fundamental level I was interested in both architecture and social
and thereby push for change. The scholarship
issues, so urban studies seemed to be a good
STEPS INTO THE also offered the opportunity of rotating middle ground. The College of Architecture,
within the family of MND agencies, which
Art and Planning at Cornell University also
WORLD OF URBAN was attractive because it provided fl exibility had a very strong reputation.
within this scope of work I was interested in.
PLANNING AND Would you advise others to What do you think set you

REAL ESTATE IN take up a scholarship? apart from the rest of the
candidates applying for a
SINGAPORE. It depends on your interest and fi t. My advice scholarship?
would be to be as informed as possible
on what a commitment to this fi eld of My experiences working in various companies
Why did you choose the work means; whether you’re interested in in the architecture, urban planning and real
scholarship? the intersection of the built environment estate fi elds, allowed me to be more grounded
and passionate about my choice of study
and social and economic issues. If you’re
After completing junior college and before passionate about such matters and can see and expectations about work. This likely
starting university, I took a gap year during yourself fi nding this fi eld meaningful, then distinguished me from other applicants and
which I did a range of internships in the the scholarship may be the right choice for helped me to articulate how the scholarship
architecture, urban planning and real estate you. would be a good fi t for me.
industries to better understand the fi eld. This
helped me to more clearly defi ne my interests