Thanks to Ms. Mariya

The main aim of journalism is to tell the truth about the world. We rely on journalists to tell us everything that we ourselves cannot access. For example, we depend on journalists to tell us the truth which is hidden from society. This summer, we were given the wonderful opportunity to learn about journalism. I am thankful for being selected to participate in this program led by Ms. Mariya Ilyas. Before this program, I did not have any idea of what journalism is or why it is important. But over the past few weeks, I have learned a lot. I am really enjoying the classes and everything that comes with it, even though it can be a lot of work sometimes.

Our teacher is very nice and sweet. It's clear to us that Ms. Mariya knows what she is talking about. Indeed, she is a journalist herself. She writes for Bowdoin College's weekly newspaper and even served as a section editor last year. We can tell Ms. Mariya put a lot of time in organizing this program for us. Her organization skills shine through when she teaches us. In this program, she requires us to listen to news daily. A good journalist is an informed journalist. We have current events quizzes three times a week. I like this habit of listening to news and keeping up with what's happening in the world.

We have learned that journalism is not an easy profession. It's stressful, demanding, and even risky. Sometimes journalists face ethical dilemma in which they have to make a decision between their duties and morals. However, all of this does not to discourage us. In fact, it encourages us to rise to the challenge of this noble profession.

All of us sacrificed our summer vacation to be a part of this program. We are so glad that we did because we learned something new and important. The class was taught in English, which also benefited us because we rarely get opportunities to speak English in school. The skills to speak, read, and write English are very important because they help us get into better colleges and universities, and later on in our future, get better jobs. In this way, Ms. Mariya is opening many doors of opportunities for us.

The program consists of many other activities, such as a field trip to Dawn newspaper in Islamabad. In August, we will print our own newspaper, which means interviewing special personalities at school, reporting on past and future events, taking pictures, editing each other’s work, and doing layout. All of these activities are very exciting and I can’t for them! Thank you Ms. Mariya for your time and energy you are spending with us. We are so grateful to you.
 

By Wajeeha Khurshaid