“And this year’s ‘Sharkie Award’ goes to the girl that so remarkably portrayed human transformation in less than two minutes…” And for a fleeting moment, I thought, “this is what I want to do”. For me, a child of three mother-tongues, I learned early on that expression is both an art and a science. Expression, combined with language choice is where art begins.
The summer of my sophomore year, I attended Brown University’s journalism course. I started on my quest for journalism, interviewing Matt Bai – then New York Times Magazine writer – and solidified my interest in creative expression. Having always loved words and putting them together, my deep appreciation of writing crystallized. Bai later became a mentor to me, coaching me through my transformation to digital journalism.
Knowing that digital journalism was the path which I wished to travel, I furthered my journey to Stanford’s Newsroom by the Bay digital journalism program. I found my passion for digital communication, as I combined it with my need to fit in, or rather, to ”Change It Up”. This is where I created my project by the same name (bit.ly/ChangeItUpStanford), documenting the human transformation and condition; why embracing change rather than shying away from it is so crucial, something I related to deeply as I myself was in the midst of moving from Amsterdam to Washington D.C. I continued the project from Palo Alto, CA to rural Muhanga, Rwanda (bit.ly/ChangeItUpRwanda) as I tried to understand what effect change had on the lives of us humans, regardless of our economic, educational and social standpoint. This project shaped me so tremendously, as, besides winning the camp’s “Sharkie Award” for outstanding achievement, leadership and initiative, it also led me onwards with one of my deepest passions: the future of communications.
I took ‘Mass Communication’ because I wanted to know more; trapped between the moving walls of making a choice before high school draws to an end, my choice seemed crystal clear, yet I couldn’t be more frantic about whether I was making the right decision. Is communication really what I want to pursue? Which branch of ‘Mass Communication’ do I want to delve into anyway? How do I even know that this is something I’m interested in when I’ve never taken a class that even touches upon the subject beyond journalism?!
All those questions and choices brought me to BU. I’m here to solidify my interest; my desire for more; thirsty for knowledge. I have a love for communicating and spending hours pinpointing exactly which word is missing or would describe the situation better. Words that don’t exist in English frustrate me to no end. I wouldn’t have that if I didn’t know those words in other languages. I’m way too fascinated with people’s stories to write them down and keep taking notes. That’s why I love to film that experience and share it with others too.
I have a love for communicating. Communicating through all subjects that go under the umbrella of ‘Mass Communication’. My role as the online editor, and now editor in chief, of my school newspaper has allowed me to be in charge of the PR, social media, and everything digital, ensuring that the online paper functions at its best, only deepening my passion for the subject of digital communication. However as much as I love that task, I, still, want to know more. I want to master my social media and PR skills – how do I handle a crisis? How do I carefully word public statements? How do I get the message out there in an efficient manner?
Overall what I hope to get out of the course is simply to learn and absorb as much as I can. I want to know more about ‘Mass Communication’, what it entails, whether this is right for me, or what else may be.
To me, this is a decision point and I hope that this course will help me decide which path I truly wish to travel.
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