All you need is a little faith, trust and pixie dust
Disclaimer: this post may contain Disney quotes.
If the above didn’t give a slight clue, then maybe this will…I love Disney. I have all of the Disney Princess DVDs, I own numerous pairs of Disney shoes and a couple of Disney tattoos to top it off.
As an only child, you could say I’ve been treated like a princess by my parents but like every fairytale — it’s not always been plain sailing.
“Some people are worth melting for.” — Olaf (Frozen)
My Mum is a retired Matron and now does a mixture of voluntary work in nursing homes and works a couple of nights as a Bank Nurse at County Hospital in Stafford. She’s also the primary carer for my disabled dad.
My Dad is blind and in between diagnoses at the moment but Multiple Sclerosis and Mitochondrial Disease are two diseases that share his symptoms. Having poorly family members can pose challenges and I would certainly say it has had an effect on my life choices to date, in particular choosing to study at Universities closer to home.
Despite the challenges though, the positives have been endless — I have developed an empathetic nature and a particular eye for accessibility issues, we’ve had the opportunity to go to the Houses of Parliament and Henley-on-Thames with various charities and we have had 3 guide dogs over the years.
“What has all this got to do with journalism and a Masters?” I hear you ask. Life at home in Stoke-on-Trent has built a foundation for my interest in social issues and what’s being done to combat them.
“Venture outside your comfort zone. The rewards are worth it.” — Rapunzel (Tangled)
I’ve always been very theatrical and interested in current affairs but there was always one thing standing in the way — “No one likes journalists! I want to do a job where I am liked.” I was going to be a musical theatre actress and enjoy watching the news in my spare time. That plan all changed when I went to an open day at Staffordshire University and just happened to come across the newsroom. Thanks to the passion of the tutor who showed us around, I fell in love with journalism and broadcasting, with my aim in life being to help those ‘without a voice’ tell their story. People like my Dad, those in minority groups and those who just need to be given the opportunity to speak.
“The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work.” — Tiana (The Princess and the Frog)
Three years of university later and getting a job in journalism was even harder than I ever expected it to be. I’ll admit, I moped for a few months when my friends were getting their dream jobs in the industry! But after a lot of work experience and a couple of years dabbling in marketing, I decided enough was enough and found the MA in Multiplatform and Mobile Journalism.
“You don’t have time to be timid. Be bold and daring.” — Lumière (Beauty and the Beast)
So what’s the plan now? Over the next year I want to learn as much as I can about everything so that I can have the best chance at getting into the industry. Studying for a Masters will give me the opportunity to practice, make mistakes and ultimately gain indepth knowledge about journalism and the media.
