“Journalism has taken me to World Bank, major cities of the world”-  Kasie Abone

By Noahlyne Chinenye Onuorah.

Thisday Newspapers Brand Analyst, Kasie Abone has said Journalism has taken her to the World Bank and most major cities of the world.

Kasie was sharing her experiences in Journalism with students of Mass Communication Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka on the invitation of Dr. Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, lecturer handling News Writing and Reporting, MAC 111, on 13th of June, 2023.

Kasie started her lecture with asking a question, ‘Why did you choose Mass communication”. That question was answered by a challenged student Emele Miracle, whose intention was to study Electrical Engineering before she lost his sight at 15. 

Miracle’s story was so touching that Kasie asked the class to emulate his desire to actualize his dream in Mass Communication when it’s inevitable to study his dream course. Kasie said, ‘if nothing motivated you, let this do!

 For Helen Chiemeta, she narrated how during her childhood she gossiped much making people to associate her with mass Communication, hence she nursed the ambition and very happy it’s actualized. 

Kasie encouraged them to be versatile and know a little of everything because according to her a Mass Communicator is a constructive, technical gossiper and pokenoser. She encouraged the budding journalists to be passionate and intentional in everything to be able to learn much needed to excel in the journalism practice. 

 She informed the students that she was a certified teacher before venturing into journalism sequel to her passion for journalism. 

She explained that journalists must be daring , versatile, knowledgeable, very constructive and a conscience of the society, noting that a journalist must detest anything crime. 

Asking the students to ask themselves rhetorically, ‘what am I here to achieve?’. ‘Who is your friend?’  ‘Who is your role model?’ She warned that as students fashion shouldn’t be their first option, rather focusing on what they came to the school to achieve, but if one leaves what he or she came to achieve for unnecessary pleasure, then he or she should not feel bad when others graduate before him or her.

She reminded that services journalists render require much and are invaluable to the society. She added that these services cannot be equated in monetary terms, as it’s for good of society. 

She dismissed the opinion of some that journalists die poor because according to her ,it all depends on the practitioners mindset  vision and mission.  

She informed that she literally worked  while in school in order to make ends meet, still she beats anyone who challenged her in academic hands down, even saying she emerged as the best graduating student of the year in her department.

She advocated for hard work, intentional, creative and smart as budding journalists, because there is no short cut to success.