As Mediacorp’s rising star and linguistics alumna Jernelle Oh (Class of 2018) blazes a trail in the local entertainment scene, she reflects on her time in university with her NTU junior, Coen Sim
by Coen Sim
Photo: Bryan Foong
Congrats on your Most Popular Rising Star win at this year’s Star Awards. What’s next, career wise?
I don’t have a specific big goal, but I am looking forward to new experiences, such as filming in different countries. I’d love to act in a movie or theatre production too.
Why did you choose to study linguistics and multilingual studies in university? Have any of the modules helped you in your career?
I’ve always had a strong interest in language and communication, so I enrolled in NTU’s course to learn about the scientific aspects of the field. For instance, sociolinguistics helps me understand how society shapes language. This knowledge comes in handy when I need to analyse the characters I portray and interpret their lines.
You lived on campus for four years. We heard you had an eventful hall life!
Life works in unexpected ways. When I was a freshman, a Hall 11 senior convinced me to audition for a play. When I first joined the production cast, I struggled with memorising my lines. Eventually, though, I became the director, producer and chairperson, and led the entire Hall 11 production team in my second year. I believe the many hall rehearsals helped my acting career; now I find it much easier to memorise long chunks of lines.
Photo: Jernelle Oh
A memorable Halloween with the Hall 11 production team.
I also met my fiancé in hall. In my last year of university, I moved into Tamarind Hall and signed up for their orientation programme, thinking it was for all the residents. It turned out to be for freshmen only. My fiancé was one of the orientation group leaders. He probably found me funny back then.
You’re part of Mediacorp’s ‘girl group’ 4567 with three other celebrities. On the topic of friends, what were your friendships in uni like?
NTU students are always willing to support their friends – it’s part of the uni culture. I was in the hall jam band and theatre productions, and our friends would always come to our performances. My buddies from the NTU Fencing Club always showed up on competition day to support team members, even if they weren’t competing themselves. Every year, many exchange students joined us as fencers, and we still keep in touch with them.
Photo: Mediacorp
Any advice for freshmen joining NTU soon?
Embrace every opportunity! Try out different modules, join clubs, go for events, and step out of your comfort zone. University is a time for exploration and growth, so have no regrets knowing that you’ve tried everything you wanted to.
HEY! STUDENT WRITER
Coen is a nocturnal sci-fi fanatic with a sense for wordplay and a knack for creating his own problems.
This story was published in the Jul-Aug 2024 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
