By Mabi Azefor Fominyen
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| GISU senior students listening attentively to my presentation |
On the invitation of the authorities and management of
Galaxy International School in Uganda (GISU), I have just had a career talk, with the senior students of the school. Some teachers also attended the session.
I focused on "Becoming a professional in the field of Journalism and Mass Communication".
In my presentation, I explained what journalism and Mass Communication is all about, outlined key areas and arms of the profession such as broadcast Journalism, print, photo journalism, public Relations, Advertising and Marketing, Mass Communication research, Publishing, multimedia journalism and much more. It was also the forum to advice the students on what educational path to follow that would enable them effectively practice Journalism and Mass Communication especially in a context where advancement in technology has greatly reshaped the practice. I equally highlighted the career opportunities/prospects, the benefits and challenges of the profession, the qualities, qualifications and skills that contribute to making a good journalist and a professional in the field of Journalism and Mass Communication.
In the course of preparing for this career talk during my presentation, I was able to tap from my wealth of experience gained from the close to 17 years of working in different arms of the profession and to share with the students in a bid to teach, motivate and inspire them.
I would like to describe the interaction with the students and the entire session as an engaging and enriching experience and a welcome to Uganda.( A bit like what I experienced in 2005 when I was invited to talk to the students of the department of journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Buea, Cameroon).
I have just been reading through the feedback sheets and comments written by the students at the end of the encounter and I am tempted to refer to the feedback as
warm and
impressive! Not to quote the word EXCELLENT: was used by the bulk of the students at GISU.
To quote one of these students (who is 17 years old)
".... EXCELLENT", Our Journalist-teacher is very clever , she gives us very good points about Journalism and Mass Communication".
Others wrote " it was good sharing your knowledge and experience" . " I enjoyed it". "I would like you to always inspire me.......". " It was educative , interesting and enjoyable" . "She is very interesting and I would like her to talk about other careers like Engineering, if she can".
Asked what impressed them most? Here is what some students wrote "
The experience of a journalist". "The love the presenter has for the field, she is fast and delivers the information fully and she answered our questions adequately". "How fun it is to be a journalist" ." the way she talks, she has been to my country Sierra Leone to work, also she knows how to speak my local language and my local food ""....the french quotations and the local food mentioned, Garri and Okra ".. "What really impressed me was how Mrs Mabi talked about her job and she talked with love for her job." ..
.
Some of these students also wrote "
I would like to a become journalist too, a TV presenter, a space journalist, become famous, meet many people, ........". Others would like to "
become doctors........"
I am humbled by these comments and feedback!
This has been an occasion to share some great career moments and challenges, revisit some of the tapes, many interviews and programmes I have produced and presented, reread some of the newspaper articles, listen to some radio adverts where I featured, listen to previous interviews among other things. More so it has been another moment to, stop and to think of how blessed I have been to have known and worked with as well as have interviewed; hundreds of people in my career even as I moved from one place/job to another. I also thought of the hundreds of media coverage, the stories written, reported and presented plus numerous programmes I have produced or presented ( be it in Cameroon, Senegal, Sierra Leone ) as well as other experiences since the start of my career up until last week when I wrote and sent in a health feature on a live radio broadcast in Cameroon.
For this reason I lift up your name LORD and say THANK YOU; Just as you have done for me, may You do same for others. May You also give me the strength to continue to share the knowledge, experience and expertise with others wherever I go!Lord also reward and bless all those who have inspired and supported me on my career's journey!
