Alumna Interaction: Session 9

Literature and Journalism: The Crossing-Over

Miss Anushka Yadav, currently working as an Editorial Assistant with Global News, was a B.A. honours English literature student from the batch of 2018 at IIS (deemed to be) University and is a cum laude post-graduate (Journalism) of Humber College, Toronto, Canada. Having accomplished many things such as the Paul McLean Memorial Award, she has made her presence known profoundly and has entered the work-life with a bang.

Miss Yadav, after having been introduced to the students, very humbly yet assuredly addressed the topic of 'crossing over from literature to journalism', in a rather precise manner leaving the platform open for any interaction or query from her audience. She was not only humble and grateful for everything she has learned from the University during her felicitous time here, but also insisted the students be proud and confident about being an English literature student and embrace all that discourse has to deliver. She has, through her work and constant participation in issues of importance, effectively eradicated the stereotype people usually associate with literature students - 'students who do not know what to do in life opt literature'. She proudly stated that it takes ind, wisdom and hard work to choose and succeed in the field, making our discourse so much different and better than that of others.

During her time at Humber, she was the Editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and editor of Humber News and was awarded a grant to work as a student journalist with former New York Times news editor Patti Sontag. She described Miss Sontag as a head-strong, powerhouse, who initiated the project which deals with the issue of water contamination in the first nation communities of Canada. Furthermore brought to our notice the depraved state of drinking water in the nation. She curated a documentary, a pod-cast and long-form articles, even in extreme weather conditions, and appeared ever grateful for the opportunity. Stating how the experience had encouraged her to
push her boundaries and work towards something bigger than any of us. She has gracefully went through all the motions to evolve and become her own person.

She often gave credit, for being noticed and chosen for her work, to her skill of writing and editing developed and enhanced during her time here. Not just that, she also thanked her professors for the vast arena of opportunities and abundant guidance they showered her with. She further gave special credit to the Student Research Program initiated by our University saying that, in a way, the extensive reading and researching had helped solidify and assist her transition to Journalism.

Miss Anushka is, in a way, an excellent example of how one can switch, relate and co-relate with the transition from academic creativity to layman communication. We as lit students might be sceptical about our use of language and words, fearing if it is easy for the layman to connect with but Miss Anushka makes it look probable and achievable. She has not only made her professors proud but is now an ideal for her juniors as well.