“ I found myself learning how to be more gracious, and how to convey my understanding and intentions with clarity and purpose "
Could you share how your experience has been as The Red Pencil (Singapore)’s first IT intern, specifically working on the new CRM system? What are some of the key challenges or learnings you’ve encountered so far?
It’s been an extremely unique and eye-opening experience for sure. I’m relieved that what I have learnt in school has become useful in some part for working on the new CRM system. Being able to see how technology will be able to help everyone in all areas, to help The Red Pencil (Singapore) with digitalising and automating their processes truly enforces the merit of technology today.
What motivated you to apply for an internship with The Red Pencil (Singapore)?
I have always understood the virtue of giving back and helping those that are in need, and I saw The Red Pencil (Singapore) as an opportunity to do exactly just that. Being able to be part of a process where technology can help to improve the life at The Red Pencil (Singapore) also served as an additional motivator.
How has your experience as an IT intern with The Red Pencil (Singapore) helped you to grow personally and professionally?
I have been able to shine some light on my strengths and weaknesses, in both the personal and professional sense. I found myself learning how to be more gracious, and how to convey my understanding and intentions with clarity and purpose. I found myself meeting people from a different circle I would otherwise never have the chance to meet and learning pieces of life advice from them. I found myself understanding my professional capabilities as well.
Can you share a specific project or task you worked on during your internship that you found particularly challenging or rewarding? How did you approach it, and what did you learn from the experience?
I had been mainly working on the new CRM system and a key part of many technology or system-based projects is capturing the user requirements effectively. I thought to document these by illustrating the workflows my fellow colleagues from each department would need to go through. In the process, I was able to not only gain a greater understanding; more importantly, I was able to capture the pain points that my team was facing, and plan how the CRM system will be able to alleviate those issues and improve the As-Is work processes. The discussions held yielded workflow diagrams that were able to be used as visual references for the large view of the whole process beyond individual tasks. It was one of the more fulfilling parts of my internship experience, to be able to efficiently and effectively contribute to The Red Pencil (Singapore).
What are your hopes for The Red Pencil (Singapore)?
We are currently gaining traction with our outreach, with the dedicated efforts of our MarComms team. I look forward to The Red Pencil (Singapore) becoming more known in Singapore and for art therapy to become a more recognised method of coping with the many pressures and stress sources we face in our daily lives.
The Red Pencil (Singapore) focuses on using art therapy to support individuals in need. How do you think your contributions during your internship have impacted the organisation’s mission and the people it serves?
While I believe my contributions here will not impact the people we support directly, I do think that what I have done here will help my team help our beneficiaries better. Additionally, one benefit the CRM system will bring is being able to streamline our documentation and data collection. With this, the team to be able to utilise said data to further our outreach and relationships with the community.
