Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and SPH Foundation presented a total of 38 scholarships at their annual joint scholarship awards ceremony held at the SPH News Centre auditorium on Friday (July 22).
There were seven recipients for the SPH Journalism Scholarships and a total of 16 scholarships were also given out to the children of staff and newspaper vendors, including six for junior college studies, four for polytechnic studies and six for university studies.
Chairman of SPH and SPH Foundation Dr Lee Boon Yang graced the event as guest-of-honour.
SPH Journalism scholarship award recipient Mr Clement Yong Jia-Xuan did his internship stint with The Straits Times and will be reading History at Oxford University in the UK.
He said: “I am honoured to be one of those selected for this year’s scholarship. My four-month stint at SPH has reinforced my belief that journalism is for me as I am an information junkie, which makes working in the newsroom perfect since I’m not only expected to keep up with the latest news, but to approach all developments around me with an active mind.”
Another SPH journalism scholar Ms Zhang Xi Ying, who was an intern at Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao, will be doing Chinese Studies at Peking University.
She recalled that her six months in Lianhe Wanbao was “extremely meaningful and satisfying”.
Ms Zhang shared: “Not only did I meet passionate people who shared with me their love for journalism, the people whom I interviewed also showed me aspects of society that I otherwise would not have the chance to see.
“Most important of all, I got to interact with the audience reading my articles, as a few of them actually emailed or called in to thank me for covering certain stories which impacted their lives.”
Since its inauguration in 2006, the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships are awarded annually. The bond-free scholarships have helped students from modest family backgrounds further their degree programmes in languages, linguistics and the humanities at the local universities.
This year, a record total of 15 Lim Kim San Memorial scholarships were given out.
One of the recipients is Ms Hilary Ho, who will be pursuing the third-year of her Sociology studies at the National University of Singapore.
She said: “This scholarship will free me from my financial worries and give me more time to focus on my studies and pursue my interest. I look forward to acquiring new skills and experiences made possible through this scholarship and I hope to pay this forward to others in need in future.”
ssandrea@sph.com.sg
