She covered fashion, celebrity lifestyles, and exclusive events.
But it was not the glitz and glamour that Miss Cheow Sue-Ann, 18, remembers best from her four-month internship with The New Paper.
Instead, it was her story in February about four young siblings who were orphaned - after their father and sole surviving parent Lim Guang Chin died at the age of 34 in a road accident - which affirmed her journalistic aspirations.
"I received so many e-mail and messages from people who wanted to help this grieving family. I felt that what I was doing as a journalist could make a difference," said Miss Cheow, who was from Catholic Junior College.
She was among six recipients of the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) journalism scholarship awarded yesterday, and will be heading to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland to study English and linguistics. The five others are Mr Wang Tianjie, 19, Miss Jan Lee, 19, Miss Tan Sue-Ann, 19, Mr Ma Huaqing, 22, and Miss Lim Jing Wen, 19.
They were chosen from a pool of 213 applicants after spending between four and six months interning at SPH newspapers.
Established in 1987, the scholarship recognises academic and co-curricular excellence, as well as aptitude for journalism.
Dr Lee Boon Yang, chairman of SPH and charity SPH Foundation, who presented the scholarships, noted in his speech that the company is striving to better serve consumers as the media industry faces new challenges.
"Talent will remain at the heart of our strategy. We will continue to invest in talent to help us deliver quality journalism that will win hearts, shape lives and empower minds," said Dr Lee.
At yesterday's event, SPH chief executive Alan Chan, who is also a director of SPH Foundation, gave out scholarships to 12 children of SPH employees and newspaper vendors who are studying in local junior colleges, polytechnics and universities. They will each receive $7,000 annually.
In addition, 10 students from low-income families, currently studying in local universities, were also awarded the SPH Foundation Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship worth about $10,000 a year.
