Summer

Over the summer break, I worked at an artisanal tea start-up based in Singapore. Partnering with small organic farmers throughout Japan, this tea start-up aims to boost local employment in farming villages while encouraging the demand for sustainable and fair farm practices.

I was responsible for conceptualizing and writing lifestyle articles for the brand’s website. As the content writer, I got to learn more about the process of publishing online content from pitching potential titles to crafting them. I was given free range in terms of coming up with new titles as well as choosing what to write about. Learning about various marketing strategies from search engine optimization (SEO) to the inner workings of websites on WordPress gave me valuable insight as to how building an online presence works. Writing with a more technical goal in mind in terms of aiming to increase web traffic through weaving in key search words was an interesting experience.

The working stint was an opportunity for me to be involved in crafting creative content instead of simply being a passive online consumer. Working in a start-up with a relatively small team meant I often felt I was making a palpable contribution to building the company’s online presence and branding. I am thankful to have been able to work closely with my boss, who mentored me and always gave me feedback even on small details like how I should go about choosing photos for a blog. While I am now back in university, I am grateful that they offered me the chance to continue writing on an ad-hoc basis. I hope this will allow me to continue building on my marketing skills while learning more about tea in the process! This marketing stint has also gotten me curious about web design which led me to apply for Code First Girls, a programme held in universities all over the UK to teach females coding. While the programme is still in its early stages, I’ve learnt so much over these few weeks. While learning to code has been challenging as it requires regular revision, the reward of being able to do something I could not before has been immensely fulfilling.

Settling back in to the rhythm of school has required some adjustment as I’m now living off-campus and starting second year means coursework is often harder. Nevertheless, I’m enjoying the range of modules I’m doing as well as the extra-curricular activities. Over the last weekend, I went on a guided walk with Friends of Canley Green Spaces, a volunteering group that helps maintain the surrounding woodlands and streams. We walked a total of about 11km from the university to the surrounding lakes and woodlands in Canley and Kenilworth, passing through Ten Shillings Wood, Crackley Woods and Diamond Woods. Getting to explore the more scenic sides right outside campus was refreshing however it was quite sad to find out some of the younger woods like Diamond Woods would be gone due to the building of the high-speed railway. Nonetheless, it was fun to explore the nature spots surrounding the university. Moving ahead, I hope that the coming year will be filled with new discoveries and fruitful endeavour much like this walk 😊

Iffah Azman : 19 Oct 2017 09:14 |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem