Student spotlight
Interview with Journalism graduate and Careers Adviser David Berridge
UTS graduate David Berridge is now using his writing flair working as a careers adviser at Cranbrook School in Sydney. Having completed an Honours degree at UNSW, Berridge says was drawn to the vibrant city atmosphere of UTS by the Masters of Arts in Journalism program in 2003.
While employed, David chose to study journalism at UTS for three simple reasons - the industry reputation, the quality of the lecturers and the academic rigour of the course. According to him, "the quality of the lecturers who were also working in the profession and the no-nonsense atmosphere at UTS assured me that the program was the best around."
By Public Communication student Eimear Elkington and Journalism graduate Steph Liew.
Read the full interview with David Berridge
Animated Tee Shirts: Interview with Julian Ngui and Wenee Yap
Graduate Certificate in Media Arts and Production (MAP) student Julian Ngui and fifth year Writing and Cultural Studies/Laws student Wenee Yap are a stylish and savvy pair to be reckoned with.
Having established their own "cheerful design brand," Catfox Design in May 2007 the pair's online tee shirt business which originated from one of Ngui's short animations has blossomed since its establishment in 2007, with a growing fan base and steady stream of orders from all over the world including America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
By Journalism graduate Steph Liew.
Read the full interview with Julian and Wenee
Write What You Know - Interview with writer Sunil Badami
Having graduated with a BA (Communications) in Writing and Cultural Studies in 2003, Sunil Badami was, as he puts it, "your typical struggling writer with neither the time or money to write" until he won the lot - cash and prizes worth over $600 000 - on TV's long-running quiz show, Temptation, last year.
Since then he's found much more time to write, with his story, 'Sticks and Stones and Such-like' being published in an exciting new anthology Growing Up Asian in Australia, edited by well-known author Alice Pung and launched by Black Inc. at this year's Sydney Writer's Festival.
By Journalism graduate Steph Liew.
Read the full interview with Sunil Badami
Music, Sound, Design: Interview with Media Arts and Production graduate Ben Byrne
Laptop musician and Media Arts and Production graduate Ben Byrne says that his Communication degree exposed him to "new musics", allowing Byrne to merge his "professional study life with his love of music" and provoking an "unpacking of possibility" in media arts, which he has continued to explore ever since.
"Growing up, I always played music. I played various instruments from the piano as a little kid to in rock bands in high school and listened to a lot of music."
But that was always very separate from school. I never really got sucked up in the romance of 'I'm going to be a rock star' - that never really sounded like much fun. Reading about Media Arts, I didn't really know what it would mean but it was a possibility which allowed me to combine my professional study life with my love of music."
By Journalism graduate Steph Liew.
Read the full interview with Ben Byrne
The Language of Learning: Interview with Journalism/International Studies Graduate Gillian Cook
Journalist and Francophile Gillian Cook says that studying Journalism at UTS gave her the opportunity to practice being a reporter in an environment "rich with possibilities and support."
Having loved writing, learning and talking to those around her, Cook says that journalism ended up being a sensible combination of different things she enjoyed.
"Studying at UTS was a real pleasure. The lecturers at UTS were incredibly supportive and their wealth of knowledge and experience was invaluable to my own development."
By Journalism graduate Steph Liew.
Read the full interview with Gillian Cook
Beyond Words: Interview with Media, Arts and Production Graduate Yuji Ueda
Producer and director Yuji Ueda says his decision to study Media Arts and Production at UTS spanned from an interest in movies and music from an early age.
Having completed a Masters in Media, Arts and Production in 2007 and now working for a production company in Japan, Ueda says that the art of moving pictures is exciting as "no other media can reflect the light beautifully as film."
By Journalism graduate Steph Liew.
Read the full interview with Yuji Ueda
A virtual helping hand - Interview with Information Management/Law student Pradesha Puvanendiranathan
Information Management/Law student Pradesha Puvanendiranathan admits to having a "little inner hippy" and says that at the very least, her Communications degree "taught me how to be organised."
Earlier this year, together with six other students Pradesha won the 2007 Malian Foundation Community Partnership Prize for a UTS Shopfront project in which she helped to develop the prototype for 'The Community Living Kit', a digital publication designed to assist people to move out of institutional settings and into their own homes.
Currently completing the tail end of her degree, Pradesha says that her studies in Information Management have equipped her with skills to help others in society, as well as an understanding of the world around and "a different way of looking at things."
By Journalism graduate Steph Liew.