Mugoli Samba, Editor, Apple News
Having completed a combined undergraduate degree in Journalism and African Studies at Carleton in 2018, Mugoli Samba now works as an editor at Apple News, holds a Canadian Church Press Award, and received an honourable mention from the National Magazine Awards. Her reporting has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Radio-Canada/CBC, and Broadview Magazine.
Samba chose Carleton for her studies because of the vibrant community on campus. “When I came to Carleton, I didn’t really feel alone,” she says. “You really start to understand that it’s an open-door policy. There are so many different opportunities for you to get involved.”
As a journalism student, Samba learned the fundamentals of TV, radio, print, and digital reporting. She learned how to find and tell compelling stories and applied those skills in various internships obtained through the School of Journalism and Communication. Her most memorable placement was in Les Cayes, Haiti, where she spent a summer working as a communications officer for the region’s chamber of commerce.
Through her work with the Institute of African Studies, Samba was able to explore her interests in geopolitics and history while learning alongside students from other disciplines. As the co-president of the Institute of African Studies Student Association, she also organized debate nights for Carleton students to discuss topics related to the African continent.
“African Studies is the degree that really expanded my mind and taught me how to think critically,” says Samba. “I really grew as a thinker and as somebody who knew how to understand and relate to the world.”
Pairing these critical thinking skills with the knowledge she gained in her journalism classes, Samba has forged a successful career as a multimedia journalist and communications specialist. “Writing, editing, communications, interviewing – these are all skills that, even if you don’t become a journalist, they’re really useful in the marketplace.”
Altogether, her time in both the School of Journalism and Communication and the Institute of African Studies taught Samba the tools she needed to excel as a communicator, introduced her to a like-minded community of peers and scholars, and fostered a critical curiosity about the world.
These experiences affected her journalism by showing her “the difference between being somebody who just knows how to do the job, and somebody who knows how to think about the importance and power of our work. By understanding how journalism operates within systems, we can strive to use our work to subvert existing power structures, and work towards creating a better world.”
Written by Michelle Hennessy.