Manama: More than 20 students from Northwestern University in Qatar are preparing to experience professional life at various media organisations as part of their residency programme.
For 10 weeks, the journalism and communication students will join select communication firms and media outlets in major cities around the world to gain experience as budding media professionals, the university said.
The students, mostly in their third year, will gain invaluable insight about their career track as well as an enhanced sense of work ethic, networking and professionalism, it added.
The media and communications organisations that will host NU-Q students this year include Cosmopolitan, Sports Illustrated, Marie Claire, BLJ Worldwide, Huffington Post (HuffPost) Live, all based in New York City, as well as Euronews in Lyon, France. Students will also work with publishers such as the Boston Globe and journalism organisations such as the Pulitzer Centre on Crisis Reporting in Washington.
According to Everette E. Dennis, NU-Q Dean and CEO, the Residency Programme has been successfully running for over 40 years at the home campus. It was first made available to NU-Q students in 2011.
“The complete, life-learning experience provided by the residency programme is one of the unique benefits of studying at NU-Q,” he said. “The programme ensures students develop the solid capabilities necessary to get ahead in their chosen career. It not only prepares them professionally, but also serves as a maturation period for them.”
Richard Roth, Senior Associate Dean at NU-Q, who provides the academic oversight for each student taking part in the programme said that students were involved in everything, from meetings and strategic planning, to day-to-day activities.
“Over time, they are able to contribute insights and leave a lasting mark on the organisations they are working for,” he said.
Abir Bouguerra, an NU-Q junior majoring in journalism, said she was excited to pursue a career in broadcast journalism and was about to embark on her residency with Euronews.
“I am very excited about stepping into the professional world,” she said. “I believe Northwestern has equipped me with the knowledge I need to feel confident among professionals and to work beside them. This residency is the right time to test this knowledge, and I am already looking forward to seeing what will come out of the experience.”
Professional skills are not all that students gain. Haya Al Mannai, who spent her residency at Bloomsbury Publishing in 2013, said her time there helped her become “more confident and independent as a person”.
“I gained insights on a diverse range of professions,” she said.
“During my residency, I was able to apply the skills that I had learnt at NU-Q. Assignments were never overwhelming, as I took two public relations courses at NU-Q that really helped prepare me for my residency.”
The residency programme this year runs from February 17 to April 25.
