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What postgraduate course did you study and why did you choose to study at UTS?

I did the Master of Arts in Journalism. UTS was my first choice because it has the best reputation for communications studies in Australia and excellent multimedia and video facilities.

What did you personally gain from your studies?

I think I gained confidence in my ideas and then the confidence to put them into practise and create stories out of them.

How did studying your postgraduate degree at UTS prepare you for your career?

Studying at UTS gave me the tools and skills needed to be a journalist and those in turn gave me the confidence that I needed to take on a new career.

What was it like winning the Broadcasting Education Award recently in the USA?

I was in shock. When I put my entry in I knew I had a good story but I also knew that it was an international competition with thousands of entries. When I saw that I had won first place in the long form (over 20 mins) film/documentary category I was definitely shocked but also very excited.

How has winning this award opened doors for you from a professional perspective?

Well, I’m going to Las Vegas in April for the award ceremony, so I hope that it will open doors internationally and I guess show people what I can do.

Is there any advice you can give to students who are studying this degree?

Listen to the lecturers, most are professional journalists who have been in the industry for years, so they know what they’re talking about and just want to help. Also, research, research, research. Research your story so that you know as much as you can about your topic and know that no amount of research can prepare you for what might happen when you get to a foreign country and start filming.

Did you do a lot of work experience whilst studying?

I did an internship at Al Jazeera Television Network in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Being in a foreign country and working with the team on the 101 East documentary program for four weeks was such a valuable experience. The first day on the job I had to research and write up questions for an interview with Ma Ying-jeou, the President of Taiwan. It was a huge learning curve.

Do you have any personal/professional accomplishments that you can advise?

My project “Dyeing China” also received a commendation at the UTS Human Rights Awards in 2014 and came second in the video category at the Ossie Awards.

I understand you researched, shot, wrote and edited this video documentary yourself — whilst most other entries had teams of students. Do you have any advice on that experience and why you decided to undertake those tasks yourself?

Because I had to travel to China and The Netherlands to film the story, I decided to do it all myself. If I had done a local story I could have called in friends or fellow students to help with the filming but because it was an international story that was harder. But I did have my project supervisor Helen Vatsikopoulos and head of Journalism Dr Catriona Bonfiglioli just a phone call or email away if I needed anything, so there was always support there. Again, I’d say research is the key and no amount of research is ever enough. Have contingency plans if interviews fall through or anything goes wrong. Take criticism onboard, it can help to refine a project and make it shine.