By Karen Kelly
Eesha Affan always knew that she loved writing. So, she was surprised when she joined Carleton’s journalism program and discovered her favourite assignments involved working in the radio and television studios.
Eesha Affan
“Carleton has these great facilities and it was an incredible learning experience to be able to use them,” says Affan. “For instance, I had the opportunity to interview a really inspiring woman for an in-depth story on the Uighur genocide in China from the perspective of a Uighur Muslim in Canada. That’s a story that is going to stay with me for a very long time.”
Not only did Affan learn how to craft audio and visual stories, but she also benefited from the collaborative environment.
“You work really closely with so many people in journalism: a lot of peers and a lot of professors,” she says. “You depend on each other, so I’m definitely very grateful for all of the people I met and who helped me through these four years.”
This summer, Affan is interning in three different CBC departments as a Joan Donaldson Scholarship winner. Her experience will include stints at The Fifth Estate, CBC kids programming, and CBC local news in Halifax.
But even as Affan travels across the country, the lesson of j-school still follows her.
“It seemed like every professor drilled in the idea of a focus statement: ‘someone is doing something for a reason. And on my very first day at CBC, someone introduced the focus statement and I thought, ‘oh my God, here it is again,’” laughs Affan.
Also on the first day: Affan realized she was thoroughly prepared for the job.
“Because the journalism program is so hands-on, I encountered so many skills just in my first few days of being at the CBC where I realized, ‘I can do this.’”
Monday, June 20, 2022 in FPA Voices, Journalism, School of Journalism and Communication, Students
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