Abeer

What’s the Story?

The story that I have chosen is concerned with students in Monash who study and work at the same time. The angle of the news story, covering the growing trend of working students in Asia (and consequently, in Monash) follows adequately under the theme set for my team’s blog, 1Monash, which centers on news in and around Monash.

Since there are no recorded documentary sources quantitative or otherwise available for my news story, I plan to conduct a random survey of Monash students to obtain data to support my story. This survey will question the students on how many people they know that are working (or if they themselves are working) and help give me a numerical estimate for my story.

Who’s going to be Interviewed?

Dr. Yeoh Seng Guan

I will be interviewing quite a few people. I will take the perspective of lecturer Dr. Yeoh Seng Guan, who will talk about how and why students in Monash choose to study and work at the same time. This will give my story a Monash officials’ POV.

I will also interview students who are working, such as Jin Hackman (stage name) who studies by day and raps by night, and Shangari Subramaniam, who works as an actor with KLPac. I will ask them questions on why they have decided to embark on their careers while simultaneously pursuing a degree, as well as what successes they have achieved, and how they juggle school and work.

Jin Hackman

Neneng mentioned that it would be better for me if I did research and found some literature on my interviewees. I think that that is an excellent suggestion and will definitely find published articles on them to do my research on.

I will also add photos to my story of my main interviewees both at work and while being interviewed, as suggested by Joo Hoi. I will also be able to use this in the audio slideshow I will create. If that is not possible, that at the very least I will insert the pictures to add more value to my story.

Why Should I Read This?

The news values in this story are proximity (to Monash) and currency. While working and studying in Western countries is fairly normal practice, the effects haven’t yet been felt in Asia, as most students stay dedicated to their 3 years of undergraduate study. However, it seems like even Asia is picking up, and I wanted to cover this trend by localising the issue to Monash.

What Extra Features Are in This Piece?

As mentioned earlier, I will be incorporating an audio slideshow into my article so as to add dimension to my story. I will also try my best to insert pictures of the interviewe (es) into the slide. If not possible, the story will definitely have pictures with text and captions. A video or two may be inserted of the students at work, in their element.