Office Atmosphere and New Friendships
By: Antonia Solar, CAS ’25
Office hotpot lunch!
My experience working in the office in Singapore was very positive. From the very beginning, everyone at the Lien Centre was extremely welcoming. They encouraged us to be loud and make the space our own, as well as to share our thoughts and social learnings on anything we desired. It was very nice because we were able to work two days of the week remotely. This was also convenient if you were interested in traveling to other countries nearby (Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia…). I highly recommend looking into other countries as 8 weeks gives you a lot of time to explore different places in Asia as well as Singapore.
The office building was incredibly nice. We had a cupboard full of snacks, a pool, library, and many work areas free to use. The campus itself was also very green, with Fort Canning park right beside. This made the environment extremely pleasant to be in. During my time, I worked on creating a booklet for young girls to learn about financial literacy. This meant also attending the classes the girls were taking to see how the book was used and to make later changes. My supervisor was amazing (Tasnim) she did weekly meetings with us to make sure we were on track and to give us task descriptions. Everything felt very relaxed and open, I never felt very pressured or scared to go to my supervisor about anything. I felt that we could talk about anything and still maintain a great work balance.
They were also very helpful if there was any issue you needed help with (paperwork) or if you were looking for something in particular (non work related – such as food spots), and would offer recommendations. It was great because our last days there, they took us to get hot pot. This was my first time trying! The food was incredible and I had great conversations with everyone there. For our final presentations, we also had to document recommendations we had for things to do in Singapore for future interns. This was incredibly fun as we got to layout all the pictures and spots we had found during our internship abroad and have a summary of everything that happened during our time in Singapore. I also felt that everyone at the Centre was tight knit, which made me sad to leave as I feel that I will miss everyone a lot. This was definitely an unforgettable summer that I would recommend to anyone at Penn!
The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce.