Chronicle Editor
Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Reporter
AT the infancy of her journalism career, National University of Science and Technology (Nust) final year Journalism and Media Studies student Yvonne Ncube has shown that she is in the media industry to spread her wings and soar.
The former Chronicle intern recently showed that she was a force to reckon with as she was nominated for the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) in the Outstanding Journalist (Print) category.
The awards are taking place tonight in Harare.
Born and raised in Bulawayo, Ncube started her elementary education at Eatc Sibanesezwe Primary School then proceeded to Eastview High School and eventually to Eatc College for her advanced studies.
Being the first-born in a family of three taught her to be upright in order to set a positive example for her siblings.
The 23-year-old said intellectual curiosity has been her everyday push to realise her full potential.
The Nama nomination, according to Ncube, is a booster to her early career.
“To be honest, the nomination caught me off guard.
When I submitted my application, I thought that giving it a go wouldn’t hurt, so it was something that was at the back of my mind.
I literally screamed because I couldn’t believe it when I found out I was one of the Nama nominees from a colleague.
“The greatest catalyst has been curiosity.
I’m always eager to learn and explore new things so it hasn’t really been a bumpy ride in this profession.
It’s all about doing what you love and following your passion will always lead to greater heights.
Following your genuine intellectual curiosity is the best foundation for any career path,” she said.
Ncube said although the media industry is not a friendly one, she has managed to sail through the bumpy road.
“I recall when we were looking for industrial attachment jobs.
My first choice was to work in a public relations setting; the newsroom was never on my radar, but nonetheless, I ended up there.
At first, I had trouble finding diaries (story ideas), to the point where I was losing weight.
“I used to get up at three in the morning and turn social media upside down looking for diaries. Just the thought of the nine o’clock diary meeting was enough to keep me awake all night but as time went on, I fell in love with the whole idea.
I learned that reading other people’s work helps you write better, so that’s what I did.
“Like what the wise always say ‘you stand taller in the shoulders of those that come before you this is actually true because the help we got from our seniors in the newsroom actually groomed us to be better writers.
I personally learnt to manoeuvre every beat and I loved art reporting because it was flexible and one could actually express themselves better,” said Ncube.
She said she is not looking forward to losing tonight.
“Well, losing is alien to my vocabulary, but even if I don’t get the trophy, I have already won considering that there were more than 80 entries in my field and I qualified to the top three.
That’s a win on its own and a contributing factor to my resume as well,” said Ncube.
Ncube said she hopes to make a cut in the newsroom when she finishes her studies.
“After graduating, my wish is to work in a newsroom environment.
In the future, it is my hope to open my own media house which will be mainly concentrating on the investigative type of journalism,” said Ncube.
– @mthabisi_mthire
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