EMMA Shearer is a second-year HND Media and Communications student at Glasgow Clyde College and is part of the team organising the Scottish Student Journalism Awards 2016.
What course are you studying?
I am currently a second-year HND Media and Communications student at Glasgow Clyde College.
What inspired you to choose this course ahead of all the others on offer?
During my last year of school, I wasn’t exactly sure of what I wanted to do. I originally applied to childcare as my main choice but, when that fell through, I took up media which I am glad of now since I have come to really enjoy the course.
In my last two years of school I began to get involved with my local community radio station, I started to gain some experience within radio and enjoyed what I was doing. I looked at radio courses around Glasgow and discovered the media and communications course at Glasgow Clyde College.
I started studying my NQ Media which led me to progress onto my HND. I love the fact that it is a broad subject which has many areas. I discovered a whole new breadth to the media and communications course, sides I couldn’t imagine – such as advertising and PR. The course also keeps my options open within the media industry.
At what stage are you?
I am nearly finished my second year with the intention of going to university next year.
What have you most enjoyed about the course so far?
Finding something that I enjoy that I’m good at. I have enjoyed getting the chance to explore different areas of media and actually get opportunities/experience in these areas, to truly discover the areas of media I enjoy.
Last year, I had the opportunity to organise an event for my graded unit for the charity of my choice. I did a sponsored abseil, which raised almost £200 – a lot of money for a relatively small charity like CMV Action.
I got the chance to organise every aspect of the event – from contacting the venue to setting up the donation page online and collecting sponsors. At one point, I felt like I couldn’t secure the venue but then, after speaking to Glasgow Climbing Centre, they went above and beyond.
I really gained a love for organising events and was delighted when I got the chance to organise the Scottish Student Journalism Awards this year – in order to develop my skills further, which has been the highlight of this year.
The event is a Scotland-wide, yearly event which gives student journalists the chance to showcase their best work and brings them together with the best of Scottish broadcast and print.
The awards night is on May 26, and we have already received many entries with the competition open until the 18th April at 5pm.
We are looking forward to being able to award the talented young journalists for their hard work and give them the recognition they deserve.
What lies ahead and how are you preparing yourself for it?
I am hoping to go to university, to either study media and communications further or events management. Hopefully, the hard work I have put into college, during the last few years, will put me in good stead to adapt to university life and get a job within the media industry.
Are you currently using any of your new-found skills in actual media work?
In August, I volunteered at the Edinburgh Festivals – with the BBC, as a runner for about a week. More recently, I was a festival assistant/runner for the Galoshan’s Festival, in October. This last year, I have been doing four hours of live radio shows a week at Pulse Community Radio.
What next, after you have no doubt successfully completed your course?
If I am successful with my course, then I plan to go onto university.
After university, I am not sure what I am planning to do. Everything moves so quickly, so I don’t have any definite plans. I know I’d love to find a good job, likely to do with either radio or events management.
Any single piece of media studies advice you want to share?
If you want something badly enough, you will have the determination to continue. Don’t give up when it gets tough or you may never know what you are capable of. When you feel you can’t do it, keep trying to push through; you may even surprise yourself.
