InternSG is please to have Nicolette Pereira in our most recent interview for our Featured Student Write-ups series. Nicolette is a third year student from Singapore Polytechnic, studying Media and Communication with a certificate in Humanitarian Affairs under the diploma plus programme offered by Singapore Polytechnic. She is also a facili-trainer at Positive Intentions,which is the official training company for the Youth Olympic Games.
Q. What prompted you to be a facili-trainer? What exactly does it it mean?
I was introduced into the company, Positive Intentions in October 2010 by my close friend who was trained as a Cultural village host during the YOG. A facili-trainer basically encompasses two words- facilitator as well as trainer. At Positive Intentions, we basically question them after a meaningful activity for them to come up answers instead of just giving the answers to them. this is so that the lesson learnt will stay with them longer as it wasnt us but them who really took the time and thought to think of the answer.
Q. What are your thoughts about fashion, social media and how do you think students should position themselves to their prospective employers?
Well to me, fashion is an individual’s statement about themselves. Just as we are all different in our character traits, the same goes for our style. I always believe in vibrancy and it doesn’t really matter how we dress as long as it is befitting the occasion and we feel good about ourselves.
Social media to me is an opportunity in so many ways, be it socially or in the business sense. Social media has changed the media landscape and we are now able to connect to the rest of the world by just clicking on the World Wide Web. I believe it has not been harnessed to its maximum potential yet but we’ll get there someday.
I think students should position themselves as having enthusiasm and a keen sense of being able to juggle a few things at a time and yet be able to complete the tasks given to the best of the ability. I always believe in giving my best shot at anything i do. To me, A task worth doing is a task worth doing well.
Q. You mentioned you had done community projects? Can you share your experience in them?
Yes,i have done several community projects, one of which was overseas and took place last year from the 7th to the 18th of June in the Philippines. It was part of my diploma plus “Humanitarian Affairs”. Although it was a short 12-day stint, we had their horizons broadened through myriad experiences. Aside from interacting with the staff of non-governmental organisations, SIKAT and Citizens’ Response Disaster Center, we got their hands dirty by helping out in the sand-bagging and planting of mangroves at Dawey-Dawey eco tourism park in Botolan. We also got a chance to visit an urban slum in Manila.
We found that the locals truly embodied the essence of hard work. Although the locals might have uttered “no work, no food” in jest to “force” us to work harder, our team was struck by how the villagers strenuously worked for their daily bread.
The visit to the urban slum evoked both sadness and sympathy in us as it was not uncommon for a family of up to 10 members to live together in a small flat that amounted to barely 16 square metres. They had limited access to education and healthcare and could not even enjoy good sanitation services.
In spite of their hardship, the Filipinos were warm and hospitable. Never once did they fail to make us feel at home, even in a foreign land. Looking after us as if we were their own, the locals exemplified the truth of the Chinese saying “Count on your family at home, but on your friends when you’re away”.
This stint was an enriching experience, enabling us to reflect on the purpose of life and the simple joys of giving.
Q. How do you motivate yourself constantly?
No matter what hardships or pain i go through, i always tell me that “This too will pass” and that everything works out a particular way for a reason. Whether we find out the reason or not is altogether a different thing, but as long as we keep pressing on, we would definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Q. You have done several internships, share with us three interesting moments that left lasting impressions or life lessons to you.
The first would be to always remember to see things as a child once in a while and appreciate what we have. I came up with this insight after working as a relief teacher at Yishun Primary School last year from January till April. The joy on the children’s faces and their simple nature really struck a chord within me.
The second would be to always appreciate our parents and family as friends may come and go but they are the ones who will always be there for us, supporting us all the way. I derived this insight during one of the camps that i was facilitating at, when one of the participants shared that the only thing that kept her going during her time of crisis when everything was falling apart, was her parents’ unconditional love for her.
The third would be to help others in whatever way we can, whenever we can. This insight was derived during one of the Education for life’ camps when we went to this lady’s house for Home Maintenance as part of the camp programme. Despite being poor, the hospitality she extended to us was heartwarming as she didnt hesitate to provide us soft drinks which were bought from her own pocket. This experience taught me that no matter how little we have, we can always find a way to share what we have with others and to help those we can, everyday in whatever little way we can.
Q. What do you think are some of the interesting topics widely discussed in school and how does it impact them when the students step into corporate world? Would you consider writing them down as a separate article for the benefit of our readers?
There are several topics such as what people wear to school and the power as well as abuse of social media. These definitely have an impact on the students when they step into the corporate world. (I’ll cover this in a seperate article)
Q. Is there a message that you will like to share with our readers?
The message would be ‘Live your day as though it is your last. Never stop helping and giving to others.’It can be as simple as a smile or a greeting or even lending your ear to them. But all these small things to you, really counts in the long run. Your actions make or break you, so make sure they relfect the kind of person you want to be.
Q. How can you be contacted?
Readers can contact via email at
Thank you for reading our featured article on Nicolette, stay tuned while we will will soon publish a short write-up article “Dressing Well: Fashion in Polytechnics” written by Nicolette.
We hope you like the “Featured Student Write-ups” article series. If you are someone, or you know of someone who has an interesting background (having great excellence in extra-curriculum activities, or possessing special talents, or can write really interesting articles), don’t miss this opportunity to be featured in this write-up series on InternSG: the most popular internship portal in Singapore!
Please feel free to with a short executive summary of yourself (or the person you are referring to), and we will get back to you with more information.