Ista Kyra
BACHELOR OF COMMUNICATION (HONS) JOURNALISM
Alumni March 2009
Alumni August 2009Dean's List, May 2006 Trimester

I = Interviewer IK = Ista Kyra

I: Please tell us briefly your experience in finding your dream job after graduation.

IK: After I graduated I had spent a few months applying for jobs with little luck. After months of searching and dabbling in works unrelated to media, I decided to adopt a more aggressive approach to get that reporter job. I knew a few Malaysian students from the Andalas University in Padang that had been hit by a massive earthquake. I interviewed them and wrote an article to be sent to The Star and The New Straits Times. I then called them to follow up on wether they received my article. I managed to get through to NST but not The Star, and that is how I managed to finally work as a reporter with the NST Ipoh bureau. I was elated and eager to learn the ropes of the industry which I hope would arm me with as many skills to forge an illustrious media career.

I: What are you doing at the moment? How long have you been with your existing profession?

IK: I have been working with the New Straits Times Ipoh bureau for the past five months.

I: Description of your job scope.

IK:I attend events and assignments to write articles for news. At present at the Ipoh bureau, I have covered court cases, political events, crime cases as well as other events and functions.

I:Why do you choose this career?

IK: I am very interested in world events and love learning new things. I believe my thirst for knowledge and passion to make a difference and contribute to society works well with a reporter's job scope. I feel empowered when I learn that my articles may have brought attention to an issue or someone had received the aid they needed. I love to read, research, travel and meet people. This job allows me to do all that.

I:What and where do you see yourself in your future prospects?

IK:I see myself committed to a media career. I have an array of interests which I look at as options for learning as I carve my career path. I want to experience broadcast newswriting and reporting, as well as try my hand at producing, directing a television show or film, all of which I hope to learn on the job someday.I hope I may be skilled and experienced enough to join international media agencies to the equivalent of CNN or National Geographic someday.

I:What are your achievement? Please cite example and elaborations.

IK: I have published articles with three newspapers to date, namely The Star, The New Straits Times and Ipoh Echo. I had written mostly feature articles for The Star as I had spent half of my 3 month internship at the newspaper on their Metro desk, between Jan and April 2008. Ipoh Echo is a local paper in Ipoh that I had contributed to as a stringer. They published my interview with the Malaysian Andalas University students from Padang after the earthquake in 2009. I also published a few feature articles with them. Currently my stint at NST has allowed me the opportunities to publish news articles, political stories, court trials and crime stories. The best opportunity I have had with NST so far also include being part of the media entourage with Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir on a two day one night visit to the Royal Belum forest reserve in Perak. I had the chance to meet and take photographs with the Orang Asli from theSg. Kejah settlement. They are part of the Jahai tribe and are the few Orang Asli who live according to their natural surroundings with little exposure to modern world. They still hunt in the jungle for food, usually living on monkey and wild boar meet as well as fish.

I:What are the challenge in your job?

IK: I need to keep myself updated on news events frequently as well as have a wide general knowledge at all times. Something which needs a sharp mind and keen memory power. I sometimes struggle to understand and remember things I have little knowledge or interest about. I also have to get information and write about issues I have had no clue of within a limited research time. I have to keep myself constantly exposed to either newspaper, radio, television or the internet. There is a lot of reading, researching and understanding of issues deep enough to simplify it accurately, combined with the pressure of working speedily with little room for mistakes. It has been a challenge for me to think on my feet for relevant questions as well as be unhesitant to ask especially when I know little about an issue- but I'm learning and observing the senior reporters as I go along- hopefully someday I would not feel so ackward.

I:What are the motivational factors that drive you on?

IK:Reading and knowing the achievements of great people inspire and motivate me. Everytime I watch television or read a book that I like, I am moved and want to create something of my own to touch others as I have been touched. Personalities from the media industry I admire are Christian Amanpour (CNN), Mike Edwards (National Geographic) and Micheal Yamashita, Alex Webb and Stuart Franklin (Natgeo photographers). I love watching them work and hope to achieve the same finesse with my work which they have executed theirs. They make me want to stretch my own possibilities.

I:Your motivational advice (words of wisdom) to your alumni and UTAR students.

IK:I believe in the words, "There's a will there's a Way". If you really want something, you just have to go all out until you get it. Failure is a side effect of success. You have to keep your eyes on the prize and persevere. My best friend Michelle Ting told me a phrase which I constantly remind myself by, "You're only as good as your last work" It works to push me to do better if I failed at any time, as well as keep me working harder to be better than the last work I did.