JOURNALISM AN OBVIOUS FIT FOR BCIT GRAD
For Hana Mae Nassar, taking up journalism seemed the most natural thing in the world, although she took a circuitous route getting there.
“It’s probably being raised the way I was, in a family where we have a lot of international ties and we always watched the news,” said the 26-year-old, who graduated this week from BCIT’s broadcast and online journalism program.
Born in Saudi Arabia, Nassar did stints in Lebanon and Montreal before landing in Vancouver a few years ago. She bounced around academically as well, starting her studies at the American University in Beirut before moving to Montreal to complete a double bachelor’s degree in political science and linguistics.
After a few years of working jobs that left her cold, Nassar decided to go back to school to study journalism. She researched the options, checking out programs, including UBC’s journalism program and communications at SFU, before deciding on BCIT.
“I quickly realized BCIT carries a lot of merit. People say they know that if you graduate from there, you are coming out pretty well ready to work. They won’t have to do much work to train you to be able to make it in the industry.”
True to expectation, Nassar went to work for CKWX radio three months before graduating.
She went into her BCIT program committed to the idea that she would come out the end as a sports broadcaster. But her exposure to general reporting steered her away from that.
“Right now I love beat reporting. I really like to be telling a whole range of different stories. I am still so new in my career that I haven’t really narrowed in on a specific field.
“That’s what really keeps me going. I am just trying to learn what I can right now. I just want to become a better journalist, more evolved in my field. In five years, I am hoping that I will still be doing what I love, whether it be reporting or producing or even moving over to television.”