Harvard-bound ex-FMT intern learnt resilience in the newsroom
Published on: Saturday, May 11, 2024
By:
FMT, Danish Raja Reza, Natasha Busst
During her time at FMT, Thamini Vijeyasingam eagerly sought hands-on experience, immersing herself in real-world business and economic issues through journalism.
PETALING JAYA: Thamini Vijeyasingam was only 17 years old when she began writing for FMT Business, covering stories ranging from successful Malaysian businesses to banking crises and hard-hitting analyst pieces.
Not only did a six-month internship in FMT’s bustling newsroom last year fuel a predisposed passion for economics, it also honed her skills in writing, she said, providing a vital platform for growth.
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Stepping into the professional world fresh out of secondary school, Thamini sought to gain some hands-on experience. Little did she know that she was about to undergo a baptism of fire, a trademark initiation for novice journalists in the organisation.
“When I went on my first few assignments, it was a little bit intimidating. It felt like all the other reporters were super-experienced, and sometimes I started to doubt myself.”
“But at the end of the day, it was good to prove to myself that I could stick it out and that I could do it,” she told FMT.
She quickly learned that resilience was paramount in journalism, where rejection was a constant. However, becoming accustomed to setbacks taught her the value of embracing risks, particularly when reaching out to people.
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“Don’t be too afraid to cold-email, cold-call, or cold-LinkedIn-message people. I think a lot of the opportunities I found were through those methods.
“I definitely grew more comfortable reaching out to people, because that was my job for six months,” she said.
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A newfound confidence led her to explore opportunities she may not have otherwise pursued, including subsequent internships at KAF Investment Bank and Teach For Malaysia.
That same fearlessness, she said, propelled her to apply to Harvard College where she has been admitted for the upcoming academic year, with plans to graduate in 2028.
Reflecting on her time in the newsroom, Thamini emphasised how it immersed her in real-world business issues, especially at the local level.
“FMT’s business team did a number of interviews and stories with upcoming Malaysian businesses and startups.”
“(Prior to my internship) I had never intentionally sought out these people. It was really nice to learn from their experiences and what sort of hardships they had to overcome,” she said.
In her role as a business reporter, she found herself under the tutelage of Yeoh Guan Jin, then head of FMT Business, who was utterly dazzled by the young prodigy.
“Thamini is very mature, way beyond her age. She grasps business issues very quickly, which was a bonus for FMT.
“At our daily meetings, she would offer ideas for stories, much like reporters who have been in the business for many years,” he said.
Though she has since left FMT, she credits the time spent at the company with igniting her passion to continue pursuing journalistic endeavours in the next chapter of her life.
“I would like to try out for Harvard’s own student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, which covers quite a lot of different topics,” she said.
Thamini, who plans to major in economics, will be joining three other bright young Malaysians at Harvard College in Massachusetts this August.
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