Tan Yuan Lin (22), majoring in Banking and Finance (International Trade) at Nanyang Technological Institute (NTU), was with the Partnerships and Innovations team in the Global Corporate Banking division during her FRANKpreneurship internship.

Hello, I’m Yuan Lin. I learned about FRANKpreneurship from my supervisor and another senior colleague. They encouraged me to apply as they believed it would make my internship experience with OCBC Bank richer and more meaningful. And they were right!

Crossing the bridge from campus to industry

FRANKpreneurship appealed to me because it promised the best of two worlds. From Monday to Thursday, I interned with the Partnerships and Innovations team in the Global Corporate Banking division and on Friday, we focused on a project. The project was special because it was not just another assignment. At the end of the project, we present our findings and recommendations to the senior leaders with the real possibility of implementation. This was exciting because it allowed us to cross the bridge from academia to industry.

Mentors make a difference

Besides working on the project and attending workshops on Fridays, we were coached by our amazing mentors. Like most new relationships, it took a little time for the bond with our mentors to blossom. However, I learned so much from them over the period of the internship. The mentors journeyed with us through the ups and many downs of our project, and taught us plenty of valuable lessons at each milestone. To say that they mentored me is an understatement of how much they guided us, believed in us and stood by us throughout the internship. I am beyond grateful to our dear mentors.

As some of my mentors were not from my department, I was exposed to a plethora of information and banking perspectives, which made my internship journey richer and more fruitful. I learned how actions taken by one department might affect other departments in different ways. With the mentors’ guidance, I was trained to think holistically when ideating solutions for our project.

Shining as a team

One lesson I learned from my mentors stood out like pure gold—and it’s about teamwork. At the start of the programme, every intern was motivated to outshine the others. Everything seemed to progress smoothly until one of our mentors highlighted that the group lacked synergy as everyone was trying to shine as individuals and not working cohesively as a team. After reflecting on his comment, we began to fine-tune our working processes and we witnessed a powerful change!

We realised we could shine brighter working as a team as opposed to working individually. Great teamwork is as valuable as shimmering gold! The bonus was that I developed deep, long-lasting friendships with my fellow interns. I can wholeheartedly say I met some of the most genuine people ever. I wouldn't have bonded so closely with them without this valuable lesson of learning to work as one. Contrary to common misconceptions of the dog-eat-dog corporate environment, I met people who value friendships over achievements. This is truly the greatest gift from the internship.

Working on the project also equipped me with relevant soft and hard skills which are paramount in business. I learned the importance of being open-minded, resilient and humble. I believe with these values, I can make a lasting change in an organisation.

Developing through diversity

During FRANKpreneurship, I was privileged to work with people from various races, backgrounds and departments, and experienced diverse working styles. I saw the beauty of diversity and embraced all the richness it provides. Diversity is more of a boon than a bane as it allows us to broaden our mindset to see with greater breadth and depth. I’m thankful that I learned to understand the value of diversity during the internship.

Expanding boundaries through FRANKpreneurship

The FRANKpreneurship programme gave me deeper clarity on banking practices, culture and processes, which validated my decision to pursue a career in the banking industry. The internship has prepared me for my career ahead in terms of developing holistic, critical thinking, and networking skills, presentation techniques, as well as other relevant skillsets. I believe these will help me to become more level-headed and confident in making future business-related decisions.

FRANKpreneurship provides a unique learning experience and is a must sign-up programme if you want to push your learning boundaries. My advice for aspiring interns is to join the internship with an open mind. There is a wealth of knowledge to tap into and amazing experiences to gain. It will be tiring at times, but in the end, it will be worthwhile and extremely meaningful. Just enjoy the process of learning and maximise the opportunity to form meaningful friendships!