By Isaac Akugizibwe

KIU, Main Campus – KIU alumnus Nyandur Machar Aweckoc says internship opened doors for her journalism breakthrough at South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).

A news reporter and talk show host at the country’s only public broadcaster, Aweckoc (right, in the photo) did her internship at SSBC in 2020 after graduating with a diploma in Mass Communication from Kampala International University.

After doing internship, she won the confidence of the management and editors and beat several interns from around Africa to earn herself a contract as a TV show host and reporter, despite her modest profile as a diploma holder.

Better things were to follow. Aweckoc used the skills she says she acquired from her classes at KIU to stamp her authority in the journalism world at SSBC.

It took her just seven reported and 15 talking lead stories in only three shows to shine. This proved to the SSBC management that she was an asset that was not to be let go. Soon she was made a host and field reporter for one of the TV station’s most-watched shows, ‘Express Lifestyle.’  This show is broadcast in English and Arabic and mainly focuses on the lifestyle of people from different backgrounds in S. Sudan.

Aweckoc credits KIU for giving students exposure and the liberty to explore their dreams. She says that she wouldn’t have been at SSBC if the KIU Journalism and Media Studies department had not allowed her to do internship from South Sudan.

‘’If my faculty refused to let me do internship in South Sudan, I wouldn’t be with SSBC. I thank KIU for allowing me to explore the heights and also exposing me to an environment filled with diverse cultures,’’ says Aweckoc.

She bases on her achievements and strides made in journalism to stress the importance of taking internship seriously, saying that it is the shortest route to employment.

 ‘’I would like to encourage those still studying to take internship seriously because it is the shortest cut to employment,’’ Aweckoc notes.

She is determined to become KIU Journalism and Media Department’s brand ambassador in South Sudan by bettering her craft and delivering as best as she can like she was taught at KIU.

Aweckoc first joined KIU in 2017 under the ACCESS program, which is only meant for international students who come from countries without A’ level or an equivalent of senior six, as per Ugandan standards. 

She did her diploma in Mass communication between 2018 and 2019 and she intends to upgrade to a Bachelor’s Degree after the uncertainty brought about by COVID-19 is out of the way.

However, the 28-year-old remains uncertain of her journalism future given the unpredictable political atmosphere in her homeland and she believes it will flow according to God’s plan. 

‘’I can’t predict it but let the river flow according to the way God constructed its course,’’ she concludes.

Courtesy Photo