Show profile Hide profile

From a young age I knew that sitting at a desk from 9-5pm would not work for me. I was an explorer and my curiosity had me exploring the art world through music and acting. I thought that was where my purpose was hidden until I was in high school and what I enjoyed more than anything was to write. I had no idea what this meant for my life and where it would lead but what I soon realised was a passion to make a difference. I want to inspire change in my community and in the world I live in and as dreamy and naïve as that sounds, I believe it is an attainable goal.
Before studying my journalism honours I knew I needed to have experience in order to demonstrate my interest in the profession as well as to begin harnessing my skills on my own. I worked as a news and features writer at the Rhodes University Oppidan Press which helped me to understand the different styles of writing and to grasp the editorial process. I learned to deal with criticism and to interact with my seniors who were helping me with that.
During that time I also worked at the Rhodes Music Radio station as a music manager. At this time I forged relationships with Public Relations people at Record Labels. I managed what music was playlisted, compiled playlists and organized listening sessions. I coordinated the music librarians ensuring that all music that came in was recorded then filed systematically. As a student juggling these responsibilities was hard work but because I enjoyed it I knew that this would be a great skill to have for my career moving forward.
Studying journalism, after five years of fighting to finish my accounting degree - because it was what was expected of me - was one of the best experiences of my life. I was able to see my dream come alive on a small scale. We learned to work on a social media platform producing audio clips, videos, infographics, storifies and other web-friendly content which made our online material interesting and easier to engage with. As part of the course, we produced a weekly newspaper for which we wrote, took pictures, designed and edited. The experience of working for the Wits Vuvuzela was invaluable and incomparable to any experience a student could get to become well rounded. Our blogs became our portfolios for the work we did and it is amazing how much ground we covered in one year. I believe that being a Wits Journalism graduate has made me a well-rounded individual who is able to apply herself in everything.