Luqman Amin

Graduate with a B. of Economics (BEc) from University of Malaysia in December 2024

Ah, The Edge Media Group – my trusty steed on this wild ride through the financial news jungle! Buckle up, everyone, as I am going to read to you my stories on the lost internet connections, cat attacks, success on securing The Edge Education Foundation (TEEF) scholarship, and my career as a financial journalist now.

Back then, finding an economics scholarship was like "hunting for a needle in a haystack". The competition was so fierce – students "hungry for that tiny slice of scholarship pie". But lo and behold, a beacon of hope appeared: the TEEF advertisement popped up so I went for the application and online (virtual) interview session.

But mind you, the process is not that easy!

Picture this: pandemic chaos, nerves jangling like a cat's tail, and me – Luqman Amin, a first year economics degree student – staring at my screen during a nerve-wrecking hour-long interview with Dorothy Teoh, the chief executive officer of TEEF.

Just as I was about to share with her my "in-qualified" economic views, my Wi-Fi decided to take a vacation. "Lost connection," it pop-up, leaving me struggling like a fish out of water just to get the internet connection back. And then, out of nowhere, my cat decided my toes were a delectable snack. Talk about multitasking during the most important interview session in my life ever!

Luckily, I am so grateful to be chosen as one of the scholars! My six-semester-long was fully sponsored by TEEF.

Fast-forward to my final year – The Edge came to save my life again, and secured me an industrial training spot – also known as an internship programme. I was placed in the editorial department under capital market and business, surrounded by news articles, press releases, and caffeine-fueled journalists. My task? Writing a wide-ranging news article, but mostly all related to finance, economics, and business.

Now, let's talk about challenges. Imagine a newbie – yours truly – suddenly appearing into the newsroom, wide-eyed and clueless. News writing? Never done it. Journalism background? Null. But fear not! The editors, fellow writers and my colleagues came to provide me endless guidance. And through a lot of hustles, struggles, pains and tears, I am now from a lost intern into a full-time financial journalist. Ta-da!

I believe my journey in this industry has just begun. There's still so much to learn – market trends, economic theories, and how to write a killer headline without sounding like a stock ticker. So to my dear editors, I am more than ready now for your next torture.

But to all the youngsters out there, please do not be afraid to apply for TEEF and to set your foot in this industry. I believe there are so many things you can gain here. If you ask me, did I ever dream of becoming a news writer? Nope. But destiny – or maybe just a really good Wi-Fi signal – led me here. So, until then, let's see where my journey in The Edge will end ...

Lim Shu Qian

Graduate with a B. Of Economics from Universiti Malaya in December 2024

During my internship at TEEF, I immersed myself in a dynamic learning environment that significantly contributed to both my personal and professional growth. The experience exposed me to various facets of multi-surface development within TEEF, providing valuable skills and insights.

Learnings at TEEF:

1. Interpersonal Skills:

   - My time at TEEF enhanced my interpersonal skills,focusing on effective communication and relationship management. Engaging with diverse team members and stakeholders helped me build strong professional connections.

2. Soft Skills Development:

   - The internship served as a platform for honing essential soft skills. I gained proficiency in analytics, project management, and stakeholder management, crucial for navigating complex work environments and contributing effectively to team goals.

3. Creativity Unleashed:

   - Slide Presentation: I enhanced my creativity through visually appealing slide presentations, making complex concepts more accessible.

   - Content Creation: Delving into content creation, including video making and designing certificates, allowed me to express creativity while meeting organizational needs.

4. Workplace Experience:

   - Team Collaboration: Working collaboratively with a diverse team was fundamental. I learned to leverage collective strengths, fostering a collaborative environment that contributed to overall project success.

   - Progress Monitoring: Regular team meetings provided insights into project progress, emphasizing the importance of monitoring and assessing progress to meet objectives.

   - **Initiative and Detail Orientation:** TEEF emphasized the importance of taking initiative and being detail-oriented, which is crucial for managing organizational work efficiently.

   - Organizational Skills: The internship equipped me with strong organizational skills, essential for handling multiple responsibilities simultaneously in fast-paced work environments.

Challenges Faced:

1. Excel Proficiency and Detail Orientation:

   - Overcoming the challenge of generating accurate reports required a high level of detail orientation. This enhanced my proficiency in using Excel and instilled a meticulous approach to handling data and information.

2. Outreach to New States and Schools:

   - Reaching out to new states and schools demanded an outspoken and approachable interpersonal approach. Communicating the foundation's mission and initiatives required resilience in the face of potential rejection, fostering perseverance in a professional context.

3. Multitasking:

   - The dynamic nature of the internship demanded efficient multitasking. Overcoming this challenge involved seamlessly transitioning between tasks while maintaining quality and focus, honing my multitasking abilities—a valuable skill in fast-paced work environments.

In summary, my internship at TEEF was a transformative experience, allowing me to cultivate a diverse skill set and fostering personal and professional development. Addressing challenges contributed to my growth and showcased my adaptability and resilience in navigating various aspects of the internship. Each challenge presented an opportunity for learning and skill development, reinforcing my ability to overcome obstacles in a real-world work setting.

Fatin Najihah binti Saypol Anwar

Graduated with a B. of English Language & Linguistics from Universiti Malaya in February 2022

Being able to pursue your studies without financial worries is every student’s dream and TEEF helped to make this come true for me. The financial aid and support from the TEEF team enabled me to receive the Best Student award for the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 academic sessions.

Not only that, TEEF also assisted me in obtaining an internship with City & Country (C&C), The Edge Malaysia’s property desk, from October 18, 2021 until February 6, 2022.

During my first few weeks as an intern with C&C, my main issues were mainly about confidence. Not being a journalism major meant that the C&C team had to teach me the basics and, at one point, I was a bit reluctant to share my ideas because I was afraid to be wrong. But having a really great support team made me realise that it’s okay to let yourself learn. And one of the main lessons I learnt is to not limit myself.

My first face-to-face interview was with two people – an architect and an interior designer – for a story on green spaces. I still remember how nervous I was, mainly because I was being observed by my deputy editor. Thankfully, it went well.

Working with people who are professionals at their jobs showed me that everything comes with experience and that I need to work hard for it. For the first two months, I was working virtually, along with the rest of the team. Working from home meant communicating only online and attending virtual events and as much as these were valuable, nothing beats experiencing them in a physical setting.

The one thing that made everything about the internship enjoyable was being able to work in a fun and healthy environment and C&C provided that environment. I would like to thank the entire C&C team for all their support throughout my internship period.

TEEF has always been supportive of my academic and career goals, and I will always be grateful for that. Thank you, TEEF, for the sponsorship and special thanks to the TEEF team for believing in me and helping me get one step closer to my goals.

A TEEF scholarship recipient from 2018 to 2022, Fatin was a volunteer for the Money & Me physical prize-giving ceremony in 2019 and the emcee for the online ceremony in 2021 when she interned at The Edge. She plans to further her studies in linguistics focusing on children's speech pathology. In the meantime, she is working at I CAN READ which seeks to help children overcome reading difficulties and build a strong foundation in English literacy.

Lum Yi Min

Graduated with a B. Arts (Media Studies) from Universiti Malaya in June 2020.

As The Edge is the publisher of Malaysia's best-selling and award-winning business and investment weekly, I felt that an internship there would be a great platform for me to gain deeper insights into the media and communication industry.

My internship was from February to May 2020. I was assigned to the Corporate Communication department. My job scope included handling marketing communications campaigns, copy-editing, proofreading communications and so on. During the three months of industrial training, I was taught to understand the organisation system and I managed some projects.

It was my first time in the professional workplace and I was not very familiar with work issues. But luckily, the seniors and supervisors were always ready and willing to give their advice and guidance.

I learnt a lot particularly in the field of corporate communication and it has helped me significantly with my career planning. The team working spirit is so strong that everyone will try their best to contribute in executing the given work tasks. If there are any difficulties faced by any individual in the team, everyone is encouraged to reach out and not hesitate to ask for assistance from others. This was the good working culture that I observed throughout my three months being an intern in The Edge Media Group.

I liked how interns were treated just like full-time associates and got assigned actual and meaningful tasks such as being given an opportunity to attend location recce for a particular event. It felt great to be a part of the actual corporate communication team! I am very grateful to have been an intern at The Edge Media Group, thanks to the industrial training course [at university]. I learnt a lot from the company that I was unable to find through academic learning at the university.

Lum Yi Min graduated with a B. Arts (Media Studies) from Universiti Malaya. A TEEF scholarship recipient from 2017 to 2020, she is currently pursuing a Master’s in Journalism and Mass Communication at Fudan University in China on a Chinese government scholarship.

In November 2020 when TEEF was interviewing a scholarship applicant, we discovered that she was facing great difficulties with her university online classes. Kumuthavani a/p Chandran was then in her first semester pursuing a Bachelor of Banking with Honours degree at Universiti Utara Malaysia. Universities had switched to virtual teaching because of Covid-19, and Kumuthavani had only an old handphone which made attending classes a huge challenge.

“Studying via online can be a real threat when you have no laptop to use to attend classes, like me. This literally stressed me out. I couldn't afford to buy a laptop because of financial problems in the family. My father was a construction labourer and due to this pandemic, he lost his job,” recounted Kumuthavani, from Perak.

At that point, TEEF was still conducting interviews and had not made the selection of successful applicants yet. The new scholarships would only be disbursed at the beginning of 2021. To help Kumuthavani, we reached out to Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd to ask if they had any laptops left over from refurbishment exercises to give away. Travel restrictions were still in place then under the CMCO (conditional movement control order) but the KLK office in Ipoh was not too far from where Kumuthavani lived.

KLK's Ipoh office managed to secure a used laptop, reformatted it and loaded it with a Word programme. TEEF then connected KLK with Kumuthavani who received the laptop on Nov 16, 2020, about 1½ weeks after TEEF had interviewed her.

“Once I heard the good news, I was over the moon… With the help of KLK, I was able to enter classes and do my assignments without any problem. And also, I'm able to submit my work and perform better with this laptop. Before that, I had to go to the cyber cafe to do my assignments and had to face many problems like late submission, low performance in class and so on. I'm grateful to KLK and I'll never forget their kindness and support,” said Kumuthavani in late August 2022, recalling her happiness at getting her own laptop.

Kumuthavani is in the third year of her B. Banking (Hons) course at Universiti Utara Malaysia.

Joanna Jayanthi, the last remaining beneficiary of The Edge Education Foundation school scholarship, sat for her SPM in early 2021 and passed with flying colours, notching up 9 As and a B.

She was among 17 primary/secondary school students from B40 homes who were selected as recipients of scholarships when TEEF, then known as the Sunrise Education Foundation, was set up. When the foundation became The Edge Education Foundation in 2012, TEEF continued supporting the students until they had completed their SPM.

Joanna, who received the scholarship from 2011 (Standard 2) until 2020 (Form 5), consistently did well in school. In 2019 when she was in Form 4, a staff of The Edge who wishes to remain anonymous presented her with a laptop to help her in her studies.

“I am so grateful for the laptop which was gifted to me by The Edge staff. Due to Covid-19, classes were conducted online, and the timely gift helped me tremendously to attend all class sessions,” she said. The laptop also enabled her to do online study and practice past years' papers that were available online.

“Thank you to The Edge Education Foundation for believing and supporting me all these years which led to my success in the SPM,” she added.

Joanna’s passion lies in teaching and she applied to go to IPG (Institut Pendidikan Guru or Teacher’s Training College). After completing a one-year diploma course, she was offered a government scholarship to pursue a four-year degree programme and started her first semester in August 2022.

The second last beneficiary of a school scholarship, Daniel Bazlie Nawan whose family hails from Sarawak, sat for his SPM in 2019. He was a recipient of a TEEF scholarship from 2014 (Standard 6) until 2019 (Form 5). He went on to pursue a two-year diploma in Outdoor Recreation (majoring in Sports) and received the Dean’s award for three consecutive semesters at Management & Science University in Selangor. Daniel represented MSU in running and football and hopes to pursue his degree in Sports.

TEEF wishes both Joanna and Daniel all the best!